re: 2024 Formula 1 season Thread

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Ayao Komatsu

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I had to look this guy up, never heard of him. Seeing his name I assumed he probably came to F1 working for Honda, but nope, he graduated from a UK university in Automotive Engineering and later got a PhD in Vehicle Dynamics and Control. His first F1 job was with BAR (Honda-related) but he quickly moved on to Renault and later Haas. This is the most interesting thing I read about him:

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(At Renault/Lotus) After Mark Slade departed at the commencement of the 2011 season (Komatsu) was promoted to Petrov's race engineer, working with the Russian for one year before partnering up with the returning Grosjean for 2012. The Frenchmen and Komatsu formed a close bond, scoring nine podium finishes and even fought for race wins at the end of 2013.

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Nine podium finishes over two seasons (2012-2013) including two P2 finishes, and four podium finishes in the last six races of 2013. Compared to Grosjean's later years, it feels like Komatsu was a miracle worker, an F1 driver-whisperer.