Getting to know the real Ayao Komatsu

As the 2025 season rolls on, Ayao Komatsu is the next team boss to face our Getting to Know questions. From swapping Japan for England as a youngster to his love of mountaineering, and memorable travel moments to being issued with a singing ban by his children, he reveals all in the video player above and the transcript below…

Can you describe yourself in three words?

Describe myself in three words… I guess I’m reasonably determined, fair and transparent – maybe that!

What made you fall in love with F1?

Honestly, just the late-1980s when I came across [F1] on TV, with Senna versus Prost and all the dramas. I always wanted to do something international, so all the things, the sort of ideas I had in my head, when I looked at it I thought, ‘This is what I want to do’.

When and where did you first drive something? And how many times did it take you to pass your driving test?

(Laughs) I didn’t have a car licence until I came to England, so the first time I was actually driving a car in tuition I was 18 in Coventry… How many times did it take? Twice.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - APRIL 10: Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas F1 walks in the Paddock during — Komatsu took over from Guenther Steiner as Haas’ team boss ahead of the 2024 season

You mentioned Coventry there… We’ve read that you’re quite a big Coventry City fan as well… So, how did that all come about?

I used to play rugby. I played for a local club in Coventry, and all my team mates supported Coventry City. Back then, I was just a rugby man – I didn’t know any football teams. Because all my mates supported Coventry City, I thought, ‘Why not?’, and then I got really into it.

When was the last time you cried with laughter?

It was at my previous team [Renault/Lotus], we used to have lots of banter, but all [those] things died down a bit. We were a bit more professional, corporate, so those things could not happen anymore. Probably not something that’s suitable for this! (Laughs).

Who’s your best friend inside the paddock?

That’s a difficult one, because I’ve been doing this for 20 years! Obviously I’ve been with Haas for 10 years and the previous team almost 10 years as well, so I keep seeing many friends and can’t pick out one, unfortunately!

He climbed the ranks at Renault/Lotus before making the move to Haas

Which three F1 personalities past or present would you invite to a dinner party and why?

James Allison. He was my Technical Director when I was in the previous place. I have huge respect for him, not just as a Technical Director but as a human being – he’s a great person. So, James is one. Romain Grosjean, obviously I ran his car for a few years… I think I’ve done every single F1 race with him, so I know him pretty well.

We spoke with Romain last year and he said what he’s seeing from Haas almost makes him want to come back to F1… You had such a strong relationship with him, didn’t you?

Yeah! That’s really nice to hear. Obviously I’m just trying to do my best with this team – we’ve got a great bunch of people. I’m really pleased to [hear] that Romain can see that from outside.

What’s the best holiday you’ve been on?

Best holiday… Again, it’s a difficult one, tricky one. I love mountains, so any holiday in the mountains is great. Once I went to the south of Japan, a place called Okinawa, at Christmas. The sea is beautiful, the food is beautiful, the people are nice, and I was swimming in the sea on Christmas Eve! That’s probably the best one.

Komatsu formed a strong relationship with Grosjean as the Frenchman’s Race Engineer

You mentioned mountains there… Where did that interest come from?

It’s with my Dad… My Dad was a really keen mountaineer, so when I was a kid I used to go to the mountains with him. I kind of stopped for a long, long time, then during Covid, when we had a back-to-back [race sequence] in Austria, in between I decided to just walk up in the mountains nearby, and my love of mountains came back. I don’t have a huge amount of time to go to mountains, but when I can I just go to places like north Wales, Scotland, with my kids.

Who’s your favourite team boss in F1 history?

The first time I came on the race team [at Renault], Flavio Briatore was the team boss and Pat Symonds was our… not Technical Director, but Engineering Director. That’s where I learnt my basics, shall I say, so that team still has a big place in my heart.

Who do you think would win a race out of all the F1 team bosses?

Christian [Horner] used to be a racing driver, Toto [Wolff] used to be a racing driver, so I guess those guys who used to be racing drivers are going to win!

What about you?

I was never a racing driver… I never even touched a go-kart until I was doing a PhD [Doctor of Philosophy] at Loughborough [University]. My Dad, he didn’t even have a car, so motorsport wasn’t in my family and I never had any money, so I don’t think I’d win! (Laughs).

Whenever there’s an opportunity, Komatsu enjoys heading to the mountains and switching off

But you’d still give it a go? See what happens…

Absolutely! I love it. I love going karting, just for fun. But I’m not very fast – I’m just too erratic!

There’s a lot of travelling involved in F1, of course… What’s the worst travel experience you’ve ever had?

Thankfully I haven’t lost my passport… Not with F1, but once I completely mistook my flight time, and by the time I turned up at the airport, the flight had gone by 15 minutes. That wasn’t great!

How many languages can you speak? And are there any others you would like to learn?

At the moment, English and Japanese, but I’m learning Italian. To be honest, I should be able to speak Italian by now! I’ve been working with Ferrari for 10 years, so I’m a bit embarrassed that I still can’t speak it, so I’m trying to learn it at the minute.

What would your karaoke song be?

No, no, no, that’s not a good thing! I cannot sing. I’m so out of tune. Even just whistling at home, my kids banned me from whistling, so it’s not a good thing…

Banned, did you say?

Yeah. I’m not allowed to whistle or sing, because I’m so out of tune, so I’ll stay away from karaoke!

Komatsu met rock legend Jon Bon Jovi in Miami, but you won’t catch him singing...

What’s the strangest gift you’ve ever been given by a fan?

I’m not sure about the strangest gift, but the Japanese fans make anything personal, which is quite nice. They buy lots of KitKats, but the packaging, they make it for each team member. Not just drivers, not just engineers, but everyone – mechanics, truckies. That’s really nice.

It’s amazing to see what they create at Suzuka…

Yeah, they put lots of effort into it and it’s really nice – it cheers everybody up.

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What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I’m not sure... When I was a kid, when I said, ‘I want to do F1’, all my teachers and others, apart from my parents, told me, ‘Don’t be so stupid, you’ll never make it.’ My parents just believed in me and said, ‘If you want to do something, just go ahead and do it, put everything into it.’ That’s probably the best advice.

Which other job do you wish you could try for a day?

Either a professional climber or mountaineer.

Komatsu appreciates the support from fans whenever he returns to Japan

We’ve had astronauts and fighter pilots in previous interviews, but you would go up the mountains?

I’d love to just climb something really, really hard, like Cerro Torre in Patagonia, or something like that.

What’s your proudest moment in F1 so far?

Again, I’ve been doing this for 20 years, so there are many moments! Maybe it’s not just a moment, but when I see the guys so happy in the garage at the end of the race, or Qualifying, something like that, and I feel like we’re working well as a team, that really is a great feeling.

Where do you want to be in five years’ time?

I’d like to have success with this team. I believe this team has got lots and lots of potential, and we’re only getting started. I’d like to make this team a truly competitive team consistently.