Before It Took On the Competition, F1 Team Tackled Questions From MAPS Students

There are only 10 Formula 1 teams in the world, and on Oct. 16 one of them made a pit stop at Highland Park High School.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, and MoneyGram’s Chief Marketing Officer Greg Hall shared their experiences and answered questions from students during a panel discussion as part of the “Race to Innovation” event. 

Also on site were F1 simulators and the team’s VF-24 F1 car, which panel moderator Nicole Briscoe, an ESPN sportscaster, told students they could look at, but not touch. “You can’t actually climb in it. I’m told that that’s not allowed,” she said. “I’ve tried.”

The panel gave students a glimpse of how the team prepares to compete away from the glamour of the racetrack, where drivers said success is more about mental than physical training.

“You need to have a good feel for the car,” Hulkenberg said. “What’s the car doing? You need to understand it. You need to have a good connection with it. The more you have that, the more confident you’ll be.”

Komatsu, who became the team’s principal after managing the engineering department, said that he wasn’t always passionate about technology. Instead, he was interested in writing, literature, and investigative journalism as a child.

But while watching Formula 1, he became amazed by the international, competitive sport. 

“That really resonated with me to what I wanted to do,” he said. “So that’s how I got into it. And then, to be honest, science and the engineering side of it came afterwards.”

After the panel, students were challenged to race in simulators while the professionals looked on. One driver jokingly covered junior Harrison Barden’s eyes to slow him down as he posted a speedy time. Students also had a chance to talk one-on-one with the MoneyGram Haas team.

MAPS business design and leadership student Keira Airey-Bufford spoke with Komatsu about their mutual interest in bouldering. She said she was encouraged by Komatsu’s background.

“He mentioned how he was interested in literature, and he had to switch — basically do a complete 180 in what he was interested in — to go into mathematics and engineering. I can’t even imagine how challenging that was,” she said. “But the fact that he did it and he proved everyone wrong, that means I can do it too.”

Hall said he hoped the morning was inspiring for students and helped connect the classroom to real-life experiences and careers. As part of their preparation for the event, Moody Advanced Professional Studies (MAPS) students tackled real-world challenges created by Komatsu working with teachers.

This is the MAPS program’s third year to host the Formula 1 team. This year, the program invited STEAM students from Dallas ISD and Arlington ISD to share the experience. 

“I just thought it was cool that they came to our school,” Highland Park junior Gavin Bryant said. “I mean, they could be doing anything. They could be training for their race … But they’re here, talking to us.”