Mazepin to get Grosjean’s ex-engineer for next two F1 races

Haas Formula 1 rookie Nikita Mazepin will have a new race engineer for the next two grands prix in Turkey and the United States.

Lewis Larkam

07 Oct 2021

Mazepin’s usual race engineer, Dominic Haines, will miss this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix, as well as the United States Grand Prix, due to what the team has called “a personal matter”.

As a result, Haas director of engineering Ayao Komatsu has been drafted in to assume race engineer duties for Mazepin in Haines’s absence.

Komatsu has plenty of experience in the role of race engineer, having worked alongside Grosjean in the position during the Frenchman’s tenure with Haas between 2016 and 2018.

The pair previously worked together at Lotus, with Komatsu carrying out the same role for Grosjean since 2012.

Komatsu was then promoted to director of engineering at the American outfit for the 2019 season.

As part of his wide-ranging role, Komatsu is responsible for managing all trackside engineering activities on-site, and back in the factory working with a team of engineers.

Mazepin heads into this weekend's race 21st in the 2021 drivers' world championship, with a best result of 14th achieved in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.