Ayao Komatsu, the team principal of Haas F1, joins us on the latest episode of The Coral Capital Podcast.
As the first Japanese team principal (leading a non-Japanese F1 team), Komatsu offers a unique perspective on leadership in Formula 1.
Ayao shares insights on Haas F1's new technical partnership with Toyota and the challenges of competing with limited resources as the team looks ahead to the 2026 rule changes.
Topics explored:
• How Ayao navigated an unconventional route into Formula One
• Lessons from growing up in a politically and culturally unique household
• What it’s like managing a lean, global team across continents
• The mindset shifts required to lead in high-performance environments
• How Haas F1 is approaching its partnership with Toyota
• Insights into the upcoming 2026 regulation overhaul—and why it matters
• Why communication and culture are now top priorities at Haas
• What Japanese teams can learn from international motorsport organizations
• Ayao’s take on long-term strategy vs. short-term pressure in F1
• How he defines success beyond the podium
Connect with Ayao:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayao-komatsu-828a8587/
Connect with Tiffany:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/
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Get in touch with us here: https://bit.ly/contactcoral
00:00 Trailer
00:54 Introduction
01:17 Fascinating upbringing
05:58 Unique parenting style
11:09 “…Until I met F1”
13:59 Being Japanese in the industry
20:25 Different environments
25:51 The technical partnership
32:07 Life as an engineer
39:33 Improving team capability
43:26 Starting from scratch
47:53 Engineering at the heart of management
51:39 Alignment gaps
58:23 What’s new in Formula One
1:01:09 The ideal goal
1:03:53 Reasonably determined
1:08:12 Outro