F1 boss admits team has budget cap concerns trying to hit $215m limit

Ayao Komatsu, James Vowles and Fred Vasseur in an FIA press conference — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 boss admits team has budget cap concerns trying to hit $215m limit

This F1 team principal is desperate to give his squad the funding they deserve

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 3 August 2026 17:30

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F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has issued a brutally honest assessment of the current financial situation at Haas.

The American squad are owned by US-based businessman Gene Haas, but mostly operate out of their own F1 headquarters in Banbury, located in England's motorsport valley.

Komatsu's squad are by far the smallest constructor on the grid and whilst some teams had the privilege of being able to switch focus to the 2026 regulations midway through the 2025 campaign, Haas had no choice but to continue developing their car last year in order to fight for constructors' points and earn the funding needed for this season.

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But halfway through the season and Komatsu has admitted his team are struggling to meet the F1 cost cap, which after being increased in line with the new chassis and power unit rules, now sits at $215 million.

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Komatsu: Haas are fighting with both hands tied behind their back

The increase in the budget cap for 2026 was a good thing for Haas and the other 10 constructors' competing in this year's championship given that it bumped up the limit for them to spend on tools to help their campaign such as upgrades and design ventures.

But whilst the cap was introduced to level the playing field, promote longevity and help team's achieve financial stability over the years, Haas are struggling with even being able to find the funding to reach the $215 million limit put in place.

Having finished the 2025 championship down in eighth, Komatsu's squad head into the summer break one place higher than that in seventh, but this hasn't stopped the team from struggling.

When asked by media in Spa last month if Haas had secured enough funding to operate at the budget cap, Komatsu replied: "I wish we can. We're not.

"It's one of the top priorities on my job list to be able to fund this team so that we can operate at the budget cap. Because that's the baseline, right? We should be achieving that first step.

"We talked about us being out-developed. That's not a reflection of, let's say, incapability of our guys. I think our guys are doing, honestly, a fantastic job. Anybody who knows about Formula 1, knowing our size and resource of the team, and then producing what we are producing, I think they will understand this statement."

Ayao Komatsu took over the role of Haas F1 team principal in 2024

Haas have a workforce of approximately 400 employees, a headcount that is dwarfed by teams such as championship leaders Mercedes, who have over 1,000 people working on their F1 project.

Komatsu continued to paint his loyal workforce in a strong light, saying they have a 'no blame culture' but that they are falling behind because he has been so far unable to provide them with the right 'ammunition' to show the grid what they are capable of.

"What they produced at the beginning of this year is completely unexpected. You cannot expect the smallest team to be performing the way that we've been performing beginning of the season in the year of the biggest regulation change. That's not sustainable for us.

"So it's not a reflection of our guys, it's more a reflection on my side. I need to be able to get better revenue to this team and provide a better environment for our guys. Then, once we've done that, we've got the guys to do it. We've got the drivers to do it. So I'm sure we can come back."

Though driver salaries are excluded from the cost cap, is Komatsu is unable to find increased funding for the team, it could reach the point where Haas are unable to attract or keep hold of stars like Ollie Bearman if their machinery is not viewed as being competitive enough.

Touching on the development race which is set to return in full force after the summer shutdown, Komatsu noted that responding with upgrades after being overtaken by their rivals on track is not a process that can be rushed.

"Those things take time. So, I'm really trying to put that in place as soon as possible,” he added. "But it's not like I just started working on it. We've been working on it. So we're having some very good conversations.

"But really, honestly, it's not fair on our guys to have that constraint, if you like. It's like they're fighting with both hands tied... I'm really just determined to give them the environment they deserve."

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Haas Ayao Komatsu