Ayao Komatsu was on the verge of leaving in 2023, but today he is Haas team principal—and a symbol of a rare internal change of course at a Formula 1 team.
Ayao Komatsu almost didn’t become Formula 1 team principal at Haas. In the High Performance podcast, the Japanese said: “To be completely honest, I was ready to quit in 2023 in Baku [at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix].”
Komatsu joined Haas in 2016 and had experienced all the ups and downs of the racing team, most recently as chief engineer at the racetrack. But in 2023, he questioned the meaning of it all: “I just couldn’t see how we could move forward under these circumstances.”
“People weren’t talking to each other, there was no transparency, no common line, no open discussions. We weren’t acting like a team,” Komatsu explained. That sounds like criticism of then-Haas team boss Günther Steiner, without Komatsu mentioning him by name.
Under Steiner, Haas finished last
Steiner had brought the US racing team into Formula 1 for the 2016 season on behalf of Haas founder Gene Haas. But the results failed to materialize: after the only ray of hope in 2018 with fifth place in the constructors’ championship, Haas slipped back to the bottom of the table – in 2021 and 2023, Haas finished last in both years.
Komatsu was frustrated by the sporting situation: “I felt like I had put everything on the table. Still, nothing happened. And I don’t like wasting my time. I’m not interested in just coming to the racetrack to fill up the field. We weren’t developing any further – and I was really very close to just leaving.”
In the end, he didn’t: Komatsu remained loyal to Haas. A “strong sense of responsibility” prevented him from turning his back on the team, Komatsu explained.
Why Komatsu stayed with Haas
“There are people who rely on me—people who depend on me to make a difference. So I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll only leave when I’ve really tried everything – or when it’s no longer my decision.’ I just didn’t want to leave and leave people who are important to me behind. That’s the only reason I didn’t leave.”
This decision had consequences. A few weeks later, there was an internal upheaval when Haas parted ways with team boss Steiner following a poor 2023 season. Komatsu then succeeded Steiner as Haas team principal – leading the team to seventh place in the constructors’ championship in 2024 and finishing the 2025 season in eighth place. 2026 marks Komatsu’s third season as a Formula 1 team principal.