P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The veteran Japanese F1 engineer has replaced Haas’s ultra-recognisable previous team boss Guenther Steiner
The Haas Formula 1 team has appointed Ayao Komatsu as their new team principal, replacing Guenther Steiner. Komatsu, a Japanese engineer, started his career in F1 in 2003 and has worked with teams like BAR and Renault (now Lotus). He served as a race engineer and chief engineer during his time at Renault, overseeing drivers such as Vitaly Petrov and Romain Grosjean. Komatsu joined Haas in 2016 as the head of trackside operations and now takes on the role of team principal. This move follows a trend in F1 of engineers progressing into senior management positions, as seen with McLaren’s appointment of Andrea Stella in 2023.
