Who is Ayao Komatsu, the new Haas team boss and successor to Steiner?

Haas have appointed Ayao Komatsu as the new team boss of Haas F1. Who is Günther Steiner's successor, and why exactly did Gene Haas express confidence in him?

Where is Ayao Komatsu from?

Ayao Komatsu was born on 28 January 1976 in Tokyo. Ayao is a son of Keiko and Yuichiro, but left the parental home early in his life. At nineteen, Ayao left for England to study at Loughborough University. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Automotive Engineering and a PhD in Vehicle Dynamics and Control.

Komatsu does not come from a real racing family. The boy who himself wanted to make the crossing to the UK grew up with a father who was a musicologist studying Beethoven. His parents did not even have a driving licence, the Japanese told Formula 1 Magazine.

Yet Komatsu's first job after his studies was straight into Formula 1. In 2003, he joined British American Racing (BAR) as a Tyre Engineer. The Brackley-based team, now racing under the name of Mercedes, was the site of Komatsu's first steps into the top class of motorsport. After almost three seasons, he was picked up by a bigger name.

In early 2006, Komatsu was appointed as Renault's new performance engineer. Komatsu initially focused on tyres again but soon got more involved within the team. He first started as part of the test team but soon joined the race team. He works with Nelson Piquet Junior as a performance engineer and later with Vitaly Petrov.

Ayao Komatsu as Romain Grosjean's race engineer

When Mark Slade left the team at the end of 2010, Komatsu got a promotion and became Petrov's race engineer. In 2012, the Renault team was taken over by Lotus, and Komatsu continued as Romain Grosjean's race engineer. 2012 and 2013 wwere particularly successful years for the duo. Grosjean finished on the podium three times in 2012, and the following year he even managed to do it six times.

Komatsu to Haas F1

In 2015, Komatsu got a promotion and became Lotus' Chief Race Engineer. Together with Grosjean, he scored one more podium in 2015. Grosjean decided to take the gamble and switched to the new US team Haas in 2016 and took Komatsu with him.

At Haas, Komatsu fulfilled the same role as at the end at Lotus: chief race engineer. With Haas and Romain Grosjean, results were mixed. They started 2013 with a handsome 13th place for the Frenchman in the drivers' standings, but that diminished by the year. This is also the case for Haas. In 2018, they peaked in fifth place among constructors, after which it went downhill. In 2021 and 2023, the team finished last in the constructors' championship.

Ayao Komatsu the new team boss of Haas F1

On Wednesday, 10 January 2024, Haas announced that Ayao Komatsu is the new team boss of Haas. Komatsu thus succeeded Günther Steiner, who was the leader of the US team from day one. Gene Haas pointed to performance and hopes that with Komatsu, improvement can be resumed.