Haas F1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu Offers Advice for Wannabe Formula 1 Engineers
Maybe you have your dreams set on a job in engineering or even wonder what it might take to be a team boss one day.
Second-year Haas F1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, who is at Suzuka this week for the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, has some advice for you.
"When I got interested in Formula 1 when I was a kid, all the others apart from my parents told me: 'Don't be so stupid. You will never make it.' I didn't listen to any of them," the 49-year-old Komatsu said on Friday. "So my advice would be: don't listen to those people who tell you that you cannot do it. You know, you can do pretty much anything, I think, if you put your mind to it and dedicate your life to it."
Komatsu is a Haas F1 Team original, having begin his Haas career as the team's trackside engineering director in 2016. He replaced Guenther Steiner as team principal prior to the start of the 2024 season.
This year, he's overseeing a team with drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman that is sixth in the F1 Constructors' Championship standing heading into Sunday's race.
"I think it's just that sometimes the first step is the hardest one to make, but I hope that people have the courage to make that first step in making the dream," Komatsu said. "Because to me, if you try—even if you fail—it kind of doesn't matter. As long as you put everything into it, even if you don't make it to the original goal, you learn something from it. And then as a human being, you can use that at your next stage in your life.
"So please, just take that initial step."
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Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Red Bull sacrifices Max Verstappen's top-speed advantage for wet F1 Belgian GP
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While Verstappen enjoyed a 4kph top speed advantage in sprint qualifying, telemetry now shows that he and the McLarens reached similar top speeds in qualifying for the actual grand prix as the reigning world champion qualified fourth, three tenths behind polesitter Lando Norris. That compromise will make it hard for Verstappen to repeat his sprint race heroics, too, but if rain does persist it will be worth it. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal "Tomorrow, obviously, everything is a big reset and we'll see what the weather is like," Mekies told F1TV. "I don't think we are begging for [rain], but we've made quite a few choices on the car thinking that tomorrow we'll get a bit less grip compared to now. Obviously, we have increased our downforce significantly. "In that context, I think the rain is probably the best chance we have to reduce further the gap to McLaren. "But, if it's dry, we will take that as well, it will still be a big tyre management game, even in the dry." As track temperatures ramped up in Q3, few drivers were able to improve on their Q2 times, and Verstappen also noted a loss of grip before sliding out of La Source on his final lap, a slip-up that allowed Leclerc to pip him for third on the grid by 0.003s. "The Q3 laps certainly felt a little bit more difficult to extract everything from the car, the balance a bit less together," Mekies explained. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing "There were some serious improvements corner to corner, but I think the gap to McLaren is probably fair. "Obviously, a bit frustrating to be beaten by Charles for a few thousands, but it's part of the game. "Overall, the gap is what it is; two to three tenths to McLaren. I think it's reflecting the reality and we'll fight from there tomorrow." Read Also: Lewis Hamilton issues apology to Ferrari after "unacceptable" Q1 exit Team advisor Helmut Marko wasn't overly bothered by Verstappen's fourth grid slot either, hoping the four-time world champion's prowess in the rain will make it irrelevant. "Max didn't have grip in either of his runs; maybe the tyre pressure wasn't quite right - he had a real slide in Turn 1, and again in Turn 5, so we could've been closer," the Austrian told ORF. "But we're expecting rain tomorrow, so it's not a disappointment. We're focused on the race and there we're optimistic. I don't see a big issue [with being beaten by Leclerc]." Photos from Belgian GP - Sprint and Qualifying Lando Norris, McLaren James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team Peter Fox / Getty Images Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Lando Norris, McLaren Jayce Illman / Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Kym Illman / Getty Images Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team Peter Fox / Getty Images Fans of Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Pierre Gasly, Alpine Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Pierre Gasly, Alpine Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images Pierre Gasly, Alpine Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images Pierre Gasly, Alpine Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images Pierre Gasly, Alpine Marcel van Dorst / EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images Fans of Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team Peter Fox / Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren Charles Leclerc, Ferrari Peter Fox / Getty Images Oscar Piastri, McLaren Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team Peter Fox / Getty Images Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team Red Bull Content Pool Charles Leclerc, Ferrari Stephanie Lecocq / Pool / AFP via Getty Images Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal Red Bull Content Pool Charles Leclerc, Ferrari Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP via Getty Images Thibaut Courtois and Mishel Gerzig-Courtois Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Charles Leclerc, Ferrari Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team Red Bull Content Pool Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Oscar Piastri, McLaren Clive Rose / Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images Carlos Sainz, Williams Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber Peter Fox / Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Andy Hone / LAT Images via Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team Red Bull Content Pool Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes Andy Hone / LAT Images via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Charles Leclerc, Ferrari Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Mark Thompson - Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oscar Piastri, McLaren Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oscar Piastri, McLaren Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Lando Norris, McLaren Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Mario Renzi - Formula 1 - Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images George Russell, Mercedes Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP via Getty Images Charles Leclerc, Ferrari Manon Cruz / Pool /AFP via Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren Polesitter Lando Norris, McLaren Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images To read more articles visit our website.
Associated Press
37 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Norris takes pole for F1's Belgian Grand Prix after Verstappen wins sprint
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Lando Norris took pole position Saturday for Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen won the sprint race earlier in the day. Norris set the fastest time early in the final session. His McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri couldn't quite beat it on his final run, taking second place, 0.085 of a second off Norris' pace. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, with Verstappen fourth. The performance delighted Norris' mother Cisca, who is Belgian, as she made a heart gesture with her hands while watching from the McLaren garage. Norris is targeting his third straight win in a Grand Prix race and is the first McLaren driver on pole in Belgium since Jenson Button in 2012. 'The car has been been flying all weekend, Oscar has been doing a good job all weekend, so we're pushing each other a lot,' Norris said. 'It's tough because you see where your strengths and weaknesses are easily and you learn from each other quickly. It's a good but tough battle that we have at the minute.' Rain is expected for Sunday, setting up the prospect of another wet-weather battle between the two McLarens after Norris won a thrilling race at his home British Grand Prix. Norris said it could be a 'Silverstone-esque' race with plenty of chaos, or tricky conditions if only part of the circuit, the longest on the F1 calendar, gets wet and other areas stay dry. Hamilton struggles again Lewis Hamilton's disappointing weekend continued with 16th in qualifying after his best lap time was ruled out because he'd strayed off track. The day before, the Ferrari driver was 18th in qualifying for the sprint race following a spin. Hamilton had declared Thursday it was 'crunch time' after struggling for much of his first season with Ferrari. Verstappen's teammate Yuki Tsunoda is set to start eighth, his best qualifying result of an otherwise disappointing time since joining Red Bull after two races of the 2025 season. Verstappen's sprint win Verstappen overtook Piastri and drove '15 qualifying laps' to win the sprint race at the Belgian GP as Red Bull begins a new era without fired team principal Christian Horner . Verstappen surged past Piastri on the straight on the first lap. The Australian was close behind Verstappen for the rest of the 15-lap sprint race but couldn't find a way past the four-time champion. Norris, in the other McLaren, was third after retaking the place from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and catching up to Piastri. 'You're keeping faster cars behind, so you have to drive over the limit of what you think is possible,' Verstappen said. 'Tire management is out of the window, so that's what's making it really difficult. I'm just doing 15 qualifying laps to try and keep them behind on a track where tire management is important.' It was Verstappen's first race win of any sort since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, and his first in a sprint since the United States Grand Prix last October. Piastri extends his lead over Norris in the standings to nine points from eight. Verstappen is third, 68 points off the lead. Leclerc held on to fourth and it was an impressive result for Haas, with Esteban Ocon fifth and Oliver Bearman seventh. Carlos Sainz, Jr. was sixth for Williams and Isack Hadjar took the final point for Racing Bulls in eighth. ___ AP auto racing:
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Norris takes Belgian GP pole position
Belgian Grand Prix Venue: Spa Dates: 25-27 July Race start: 14:00 BST on Sunday Coverage: Live commentary of practice and qualifying on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 with race on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app Lando Norris pipped McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix. Norris beat Piastri, the championship leader, by just 0.085 seconds as Red Bull's Max Verstappen slipped down to fourth, beaten by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, after errors on his final lap. Leclerc's team-mate Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of the first session after having his final lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and will start 16th. Williams driver Alex Albon slipped ahead of his friend George Russell's Mercedes by 0.059secs to take fifth. Yuki Tsunoda had his best performance since joining Red Bull at the third race of the season by taking sixth, 0.381secs off Verstappen. Norris happy with 'decent' lap Norris secured his pole with his first lap in the final session, on which he was 0.189secs quicker than Piastri. The Briton was not able to improve on his second run, which Piastri was, but a mistake at Stavelot for the Australian cost him the chance to take pole for the second day running after his sprint pole on Friday. Norris had been nearly 0.5secs slower than Piastri in Friday's session but he said the margin was not reflective of his true pace. Norris said: "I was confident after yesterday - 0.3secs is just slipstream and not being first out of the pit lane. It was a decent lap, so I'm happy." Piastri said: "A bit disappointing. The second lap was coming together really well but just made a little mistake into 14 and lost a lot of time. The car was really good but it's fine margins out there. "We're a good team-mate pairing, we learn a lot from each other. Felt like I did OK but didn't quite execute when it matters." Norris now faces the same problem Piastri had in the sprint - giving the driver behind him the slipstream on the run up to the Les Combes chicane on the first lap. Losing out to Verstappen in that way in the sprint race cost Piastri that win. Now Norris will have to defend from his championship rival. But rain is expected for Sunday, which changes the picture because of the visibility issues of following another car in the wet. "Most likely some rain and drizzle," Norris said. "Could be in for a chaotic race. Going off the front and hopefully can take advantage of that and go from there." Verstappen had been third fastest after the first runs, but a wheelspin moment out of the La Source hairpin cost him time all the way along the straight through Eau Rouge and up to Les Combes. The four-time champion was able to claw some of the time lost back over the rest of the lap and did improve his time slightly. But he said the lap was "so bad" and it was enough to allow Leclerc, who felt he was able to maximise the Ferrari, to slip ahead. A disappointed Hamilton said to go out in Q1 was "not acceptable" but he would try to "have fun" in the race. Behind Tsunoda, the top 10 was completed by the Racing Bulls drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, who made it into the top 10 for a grand prix qualifying session for the first time in his career, repeating the feat he managed in sprint qualifying the day before. Verstappen wins Belgian GP sprint race Full results Radio 1 DJs help preview Belgian Grand Prix
