meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
F1 Beyond The Grid

Ayao Komatsu: aiming high with Haas

F1 Beyond The Grid

karenellenbevan

Sports, Leisure, News, Sports News, Automotive

4.75.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu is Tom Clarkson’s guest on this week’s F1 Beyond The Grid.

Ayao has been with Haas since their debut season 10 years ago, but he’s only been in charge since 2024. What has he learned about leadership in that time? How did he guide the team’s recovery from such a difficult start last season? And what are Haas’ targets in the new era of Formula 1?

As for the drivers, Ayao tells Tom what he wants to see from Esteban Ocon this year and how long they can hold on to Ollie Bearman if his eye-catching performances continue.

Ayao also reveals a lot about his relationship with owner Gene Haas and what Toyota bring to the table as the team’s technical partner.

F1 Nation + F1 Explains are together in 2026
Get race reviews + answers to your questions all in one place

This episode is sponsored by Vanta: get started at vanta.com/GRID

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Your life's already digital. From banking and shopping to streaming and learning. So why

0:06.3

does sorting government stuff still feel like such hard work? The government is introducing a new

0:13.6

digital ID to make access to services quicker and more secure for everyone. But we need to hear from you.

0:23.6

Your voice matters. Search digital ID consultation to have your say. Digital ID, making it work for you. HASS have started the new era of Formula One in style.

0:38.3

So is it too early to talk about loftier ambitions?

0:42.3

For me to sit here and talk about wins, it's too far away.

0:46.3

So our medium-term target in the next three to five years

0:50.3

is basically trying to establish ourselves consistently at the front of the midfield

0:55.4

pack. Only when you get there, then we can look at, okay, what are we still lacking to

1:00.9

challenge for podiums on the merit, to challenge for the race wins on the merit?

1:04.9

And if Olli Behrman continues to impress, Canhast keep hold of him?

1:10.2

If we've done great job with Odie and then Odie

1:14.0

performed so well that Ferrari really wants to take him the following year, we have to be happy

1:18.9

that we've done our job. Hello and welcome to F1 Beyond the Grid.

1:29.6

I'm Tom Clarkson and my guest this week is HAST team principal Iocomatsu.

1:35.5

Iyo's only been in charge of the team since 2024.

1:39.3

But what I think comes across in our chat is how much of a natural leader he is.

1:46.5

He empowers people, he listens to them, and he makes the right calls when necessary. Just look at how the team recovered from a

1:51.9

very difficult start to last season. We talk a lot about drivers. What does I.O. expect from

1:57.8

Esteban Okon this season? How much potential does Oli Behrman have?

2:03.4

I also ask Iyo about his relationship with team owner Gene Hasse, in whom he saw a different

2:08.8

side at last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, where both of them drove a Hass F1 car up the

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from karenellenbevan, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of karenellenbevan and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.