Ayao Komatsu has gained a lot of limelight since replacing Guenther Steiner as the Haas team principal earlier this year. However, he recently revealed that his foray into F1 wasn’t as straightforward. The Japanese engineer recalled discovering F1 at the age of 14 while growing up in Japan, and from that moment, he was determined to make a career in the sport, even though many people told him it was impossible.
Speaking on The Fast and the Curious podcast, Komatsu explained how he took certain bold steps to pursue his childhood dream of getting to F1. He moved to England, learned English, and attended Loughborough University to study engineering.
However, he admitted that breaking into F1 wasn’t easy. Komatsu sent 50 job applications to F1 teams, receiving 48 rejections before finally landing an opportunity with Lotus Engineering.
“Once I’d done two years at Loughborough, again I wanted to find a place to do my work experience. That’s where I sent about 50 application letters, then [I got] 48 rejections, two of them gave me an interview… Luckily I got a job at Lotus Engineering,” he shared.
“That’s where I really found my passion in vehicle dynamics, performance, [and] trackside engineering.”
Komatsu’s career took off once he began working for Renault/Lotus in 2006 as a performance engineer where he later became a race engineer. In 2012, he partnered with Romain Grosjean, helping the French driver secure nine podium finishes and even challenge for race wins.
By 2014, Komatsu was promoted to chief race engineer at Lotus, and in 2016, he joined Haas as their trackside engineering director when Grosjean moved to the newly formed American team.
Haas has seen better days since Komatsu took over
Fast forward to January 2024, Komatsu became Haas’ team principal, effectively one of the biggest positions in the team after the owner. He took on the role at a challenging time, with Haas finishing last in the Constructors’ Championship in 2023.
However, under his leadership, the team has seen significant improvement as Haas is currently fighting for sixth place in the constructors’ standings, a remarkable turnaround in less than a year.
: Haas boss Ayao Komatsu opposes a potential 2026 F1 rule that would force teams finishing fifth or higher to produce all components in-house. Komatsu warns this could harm smaller teams like Haas, which relies on third-party components from Ferrari. The rule could jeopardize… pic.twitter.com/tZD2Ky9ReC
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) November 15, 2024
From facing rejection to achieving his dream, Komatsu now leads Haas with big ambitions for the future. Under his leadership, the team has not only escaped its slump but is beginning to dream of competing at the front of the grid in the years to come.
