[No. 184] Keisuke Minatoya

Rather than something I had to think about, entering the Faculty of Science and Technology was something I had always envisioned. I enjoyed science and math subjects like mathematics and physics since junior high and high school, so I decided to enroll here without any hesitation. I was particularly interested in the automotive industry, including F1, and under the very vague notion that "if it's cars, it must be Germany," I put a lot of effort into learning German during my time at Keio Senior High School and university. Strangely enough, however, I never chose to pursue research related to automobiles.

For my laboratory assignment from my fourth year, I requested to join the Yasuoka Laboratory. My specific research involved using molecular simulations to primarily investigate the physical properties of hydrates. The catalyst was a molecular dynamics class I took in my second year, which was also taught by Professor Yasuoka. Professor Yasuoka's style was to keep a certain distance—he wouldn't suddenly teach you everything at once, but if you had questions or needed advice, he was very approachable and would gladly discuss anything. When it came to debates, he was someone you could engage with on a completely equal footing. He didn't say much at the beginning, which sometimes made me wonder if he was testing my thinking, but there is no doubt that this experience formed the foundation of my subsequent career as a researcher and became a great asset.

This might still be the case today, but the lab was full of incredibly energetic members. Starting with the "baptism" at my first year-end party, there were many events outside of research, but the research activities themselves were also very intense. The lab had a high number of domestic and international conference presentations and paper publications, and my cohort alone produced three doctoral graduates. I remember it as a very fulfilling time in the lab.

After graduating from university and advancing to graduate school, I began my job search in 2008 as a first-year master's student. This brings me back to the beginning: I realized that for my career, I really wanted to work in F1. At that time in 2008, Honda was still competing in F1. I knew it wouldn't be easy because many people would be applying, but I didn't want to regret not trying, so I went for the interview and successfully received a job offer. However, due to the circumstances of the time, including the economic crisis, Honda announced at the end of 2008, before I even joined the company, that it would be withdrawing from F1.

I then joined Honda (Honda R&D Co., Ltd.) in 2009. The F1 I had dreamed of was gone, but I saw it as a good learning period for me, as I had never worked with internal combustion engines before. I requested to be in mass-production engine development and was assigned to the engine development department for hybrid models. After gaining about three years of hands-on experience, talk of re-entering F1 emerged. I was extremely fortunate to be able to participate in the development of the F1 PU (Power Unit: a hybrid engine with an internal combustion engine and two motors) from the project's start in April 2013.

However, due to the experience gap with our competitors and the short preparation time before our return to racing, our initial participation with McLaren Racing upon re-entry in 2015 was quite challenging. Beyond performance issues, we faced numerous reliability problems, and I think it was a difficult period. I myself became involved at the racetrack as the person in charge of reliability for two years in 2016 and 2017. During race events, I was busy dealing with troubles, and once the race was over, I would propose improvement plans to the factory for the future. I was thinking about racing day and night, and before I knew it, three years had flown by. From 2018, we teamed up with a new partner, Scuderia Toro Rosso (now Scuderia AlphaTauri), and at the same time, I was transferred to HRD-UK, located in Milton Keynes, England. At that time, I also became a PU Engineer, mainly in charge of PU performance and strategy, and began communicating directly with core race engineers and the drivers I was responsible for. As for Honda, the technical capabilities we had steadily accumulated finally began to bear fruit. We made great strides in both performance and reliability, improving to a level where our competitiveness was comparable to our rivals. From 2019, it was decided that we would also supply PUs to the top team, Red Bull Racing. I myself was assigned to Red Bull Racing, and we have achieved our first podium and first win since returning in 2015. Although we have not yet reached our goal of winning the championship, we are making steady progress toward it.

Unfortunately, Honda has decided to withdraw from F1 at the end of 2021, so this year will be the final challenge for the Honda PU. This year, I intend to spend the year with no regrets so that we can win the championship.

I had no specialized expertise and only started learning about engines after jumping into Honda, yet I have been able to come this far. For one, I have been blessed with good timing and good people, and I consider myself a very fortunate person. However, precisely because I lacked experience, I am also proud that every time my environment changed, I made an effort to raise my own level so as not to be outdone by those around me, to surpass the experienced people, and to always act with the intention of leading the way.

When I talk to the team members I work with on the trackside (for example, engineers from McLaren or Red Bull), it seems that not all of them have aimed for this path in a straight line since their student days. There are plenty of people who have jumped in from completely unrelated fields. I think the common trait among those at the senior level of engineering is their speed in absorbing, digesting, and mastering new things.

I believe this is an important quality in F1, where new technologies are introduced in almost every race. But this is not limited to this world. In today's advanced information society, where new technologies emerge and disappear one after another like bamboo shoots after the rain, the ability to adapt to different environments and technologies—in other words, a proactive attitude toward everything, although I'm not a fan of empty motivational talk—is an important quality in any field.

To all the younger students who have a dream they want to pursue: an opportunity may or may not come your way. However, I think it's a good idea to think about what you can do now to be ready for when a real opportunity does arrive.