Romain Grosjean has shared heartfelt praise for his longtime friend and former Haas race engineer, Ayao Komatsu, who has led the US outfit with remarkable success this year as its team principal.
After stepping into the role previously held by Guenther Steiner at the beginning of the year, Komatsu has overseen an impressive transformation at Haas, lifting the team from the back of the grid in 2023 to a competitive position in the Constructors' Championship.
With 21 races under Komatsu’s leadership, Haas currently sits seventh place in the standings, just three points behind Alpine after the Anglo-French team’s unexpected double podium in Brazil.
This season, the Japanese engineer has overseen multiple double-points finishes for his team, a productive development programme and, most significantly, a new partnership with Toyota as a technical collaborator – a move that promises to strengthen Haas’ competitive edge.
Grosjean, who raced for Haas from their debut season in 2016 until 2020 and who worked closely with Komatsu during this period, is proud of his former race engineer’s impact.
“I’m so proud of Ayao and what he’s been doing with Haas, bringing the team back to a much better level – just making the most of it and working as he does,” the IndyCar racer told F1.com.
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Komatsu, a skilled engineer with a reputation for dedication and precision, began his career in motorsport as tyre engineer for British American Racing. In 2006, he moved to Renault where he would remain until his transfer to Haas in 2016.
Grosjean revealed that he was given a head’s up by his former colleague before he was assigned by team owner Gene Haas to the role of team principal.
“I was lucky to know before the official announcement, I got a text from Ayao. I told him that I was very proud of him, very proud of everything he’s done, and very happy for him,” the Frenchman recounted.
Grosjean admitted that he never envisioned Komatsu stepping into a team principal role, given the high-profile responsibilities and the political and media challenges associated with the position.
“No, you never know. It’s a different role, it’s a different approach, there’s also a bit of political games and media.
“I had no idea about that part. I knew he could set everything up [to succeed], but that part was the unknown, and he’s been doing really, really well.”
The success Haas has enjoyed under Komatsu’s leadership has even stirred something in Grosjean, still impassioned with F1.
“Of course, I didn’t know how it was going to be turning out, but it’s fantastic. It almost makes me feel like I want to race for them again!” he said with a laugh.
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