F1 interest in Japan is “coming back” after a “dip in popularity”

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu claims Japan is witnessing a resurgence in interest in Formula 1 after a “dip in popularity” in previous years.

F1 raced in front of a sold-out crowd at Suzuka Circuit last weekend, with 266,000 spectators coming through the gates across the three days - up by 44,000 from last year.

It marked the highest trackside attendance at the Japanese Grand Prix since 2006, when Fernando Alonso won the race from fifth on the grid for Renault.

The ticket sales were boosted by Yuki Tsunoda’s promotion to the Honda-powered Red Bull team, with Tsunoda also promoting the race in a showrun in Tokyo ahead of the grand prix.

Japan’s biggest company Toyota also had an extensive presence in the fanzone at Suzuka, having returned to F1 this year as a technical partner for Komatsu’s Haas team.

Another addition to this weekend’s programme was Le Mans 24 Hours winner Ryo Hirakawa, who drove the Alpine F1 car in first practice, giving the local crowd two home drivers to cheer for.

Komatsu, who took over the reins at Haas last year, expressed his joy at seeing F1 enjoy an upturn in popularity in his home nation after a long period of decline in the 2010s.

“I don't know if we are a leading nation, but certainly after a bit of a dip in popularity of Formula 1 in Japan, I think the interest is definitely coming back,” he said.

“Again, what Yuki is doing this year, or last year like Laurent [Mekies] said, he made a massive step that was visible to everyone, and for him, for a Japanese driver, to drive for one of the top teams, it’s never happened before. That’s a huge story and that's really gaining momentum again here. 

“Hirakawa, a very good driver, getting out in FP1, all these things help. Also, I think having this F1 race in springtime here helps as well. It's not just one thing.

“I've heard that the event in Tokyo was very successful. So all those bits and pieces count, and I can only see positive signs. So yeah, really exciting time.”

Born in Tokyo in 1976, Komatsu started his F1 career in the early 2000s as a tyre engineer for BAR before moving to Renault, where he formed a close relationship with Romain Grosjean.

He followed Grosjean to the newly-formed Haas team in 2016, taking on the role of trackside engineer.

He was announced as its team principal in January 2024 after owner Gene Haas decided against renewing the contract of Guenther Steiner.

Asked what advice he had for budding engineers and team managers from Japan, Komatsu said: “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. 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. 

“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. 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.”