F1 team principal reveals why they came 'very close' to quitting mid-season

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

F1 News & Gossip

F1 team principal reveals why they came 'very close' to quitting mid-season

One team principal nearly left their team

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 26 January 2026 21:00

An F1 team principal has admitted that he came close to walking away from his role during the 2023 season.

Ayao Komatsu joined Haas back in 2016, following former Lotus driver Romain Grosjean to the American outfit and initially serving as their trackside engineering director, before stepping up to replace Guenther Steiner as team principal in 2024.

Despite more than a decade on the grid, Haas have often struggled to find stability, regularly oscillating between the back and the midfield and earning a reputation as F1’s perennial outsiders rather than established contenders.

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Haas are yet to pick up a single podium, for instance; but now enter a new era as their partnership with Toyota strengthens, hitting milestones such as their own simulator at their Banbury base - having to use Ferrari's at Maranello.

Komatsu: I was ready to quit

During a recent appearance on the High Performance podcast, Komatsu revealed that before he became team principal, he was considering leaving Haas.

"Because I just couldn't see how we could move forward like this. People are not talking to each other. No transparency. No alignment. No transparent discussion. We are not behaving as a team."

"And I felt like I put everything on the table. It wasn't happening. I don't like to waste my time. I'm not interested in turning up at the race track, just to make up the numbers. I was very close to just walking."

Komatsu then revealed what prompted him to stay, and said, in pure team leadership style: "But what stopped me walking was I felt a big responsibility. There's people who rely on me. People who are depending on me to make a difference.

"So I said, 'Okay, I'm going to walk until I've done everything or if it's not my choice'. So I wasn't just going to leave and leave the people I care about behind."

F1 Haas Ayao Komatsu