Romain Grosjean, who drove for the Haas Formula 1 team from 2016 to 2020, is proud of the American team’s current performance. Haas currently ranks seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, battling with Alpine and Visa RB for the sixth spot. Grosjean particularly praises the influence of his former race engineer, Ayao Komatsu, who has been at the helm since this year.
“I am so proud of what Ayao (Komatsu) has done with Haas,” Romain Grosjean told Formula1.com. “He has elevated the team to a much higher level – he really knows how to get the best out of it, and he is exceptionally good at it.” The French driver revealed that he was informed early on about Komatsu’s promotion. Earlier this year, the Japanese took over the role of team boss from the eccentric Günther Steiner.
‘Almost Wants to Race for Haas Again’
“I received a personal message from Ayao,” Grosjean smiled. “I responded that I was, of course, super proud of him. At that time, I had no idea that it would turn out so well. The results are truly fantastic. I almost want to race for Haas again,” he joked. “You never know what will happen in advance,” he added seriously. “He was given a completely new role, which also involves dealing with political games and the media. But he has done an amazing job.Grosjean first met Komatsu in 2012 at Renault, where he was assigned as his race engineer. The two quickly formed a strong bond. In 2016, they both moved to Haas. During the five years that Grosjean raced for the American team, they never managed to finish higher than fifth place in the championship. After Grosjean left the team and Formula 1 in 2021, the team’s performance continued to disappoint. However, this year Haas has seen a resurgence; drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have already scored good points for the team, and Komatsu has proven himself to be a formidable team boss.
Romain Grosjean with Ayao Komatsu, then race engineer for Haas, during the United States GP in 2019.
