What does owner Gene Haas make of the arrangement?
Komatsu said it was “not difficult to convince Gene” Haas, the team’s owner, of the merits of partnering up with Toyota. A large chunk of the team’s budget comes from the American boss’s own pockets. As a result, he has always been keen to run his operation in the most cost-effective and efficient way. Bringing Toyota onboard, both in terms of financial benefit and expertise was, in Komatsu’s words, “a no-brainer”.
He added: “If you look at current financial regulations and the current landscape of the sport, even if we wanted to partner someone like this, you can’t find it. When I started talking to Kaji-San [Toyota’s motorsport boss Masaya Kaji], it was more an idea.
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“The more we talked and understood each other’s objectives, the strengths and weaknesses, honestly it was the perfect match. So it wasn’t a difficult sell to Gene. To be cost effective, you’ve got to be time efficient. We have improved.
“Unless we take some other aspects of engineers in-house, which normally requires big investment, you cannot make a bigger step in terms of efficiency. With this investment with TGR we can make that leap very quickly. Gene is very engaged, he is always asking, ‘Ayao, what do we need to do to have a top-six consistent finish, and have a podium?’ So, no it was not difficult to convince Gene.”