Outspoken and popular founding Haas team principal Guenther Steiner left the squad over the winter as his contract came to an end.
Steiner also had a disagreement with owner Gene Haas that related to the technical structure and level of investment required to climb the constructors’ standings, after the American squad finished last in 2023.
Former BAR and Renault engineer Komatsu, the team’s trackside engineering director since its 2016 debut, has taken the reins. Given his background, Hulkenberg says the engineers cannot get away with “bullshit” because he “knows what’s going on”.
EXCLUSIVE: Steiner opens up on what really happened at the Haas F1 team
Speaking at pre-season testing in Bahrain, the German said: “He’s a totally different guy, different character. That's pretty obvious. He's an engineer. Different background.
“He has a lot of experience and know-how. Engineers can't bullshit him, no one can bullshit him because he knows what's going on. He looks [at] things very much from the technical side.
“What he's done so far already, the restructuring within the technical department, it looks good. He's obviously trying to - and that's his job - optimise a lot of the structures and maximise what we have currently.”
Source: Autosport