Haas Formula 1 team was left shocked and confused in their season opener, as issues so severe ensued that team boss Ayao Komatsu initially believed there was a fault with the car. The team’s performance was less than stellar, a stark contrast to their expectations, leaving both the team and external observers in disbelief.
During the race that was marred by rain, Esteban Ocon’s pace lagged by six tenths compared to the nearest lap time in Q1, putting Haas out of the running for points. This disheartening performance was not a one-off incident, as admitted by Komatsu at the press conference in the lead-up to the Chinese Grand Prix. The team initially thought there was a fault with the car, but soon realized the issue was far more complex.
Despite the car’s solid performance in Bahrain testing, the team was taken by surprise when it underperformed at Melbourne. The car’s real pace was masked during testing due to its high-fuel running, a strategy that had previously served them well. The team, along with many external observers, assumed that once the fuel was reduced and the soft tyres were on, the car would perform at its expected level. However, this was not the case.
Haas’s weakness was exposed right from the start, with the car consistently lagging in high-speed corners throughout the weekend. The car’s instability at high speed was particularly evident at the fast Turn 9/10 left-right esses, where Ocon lost significant time. Despite improvements over the weekend, Haas continued to struggle with the car’s performance.
The team’s aerodynamic load numbers were not identified as the problem, pointing towards a more complex issue with the car’s usability at high speeds. According to Komatsu, the car’s downforce at Turn 10 was similar to what they had experienced in Melbourne ’24, despite the wind tunnel indicating higher performance levels. The issue was that this downforce was not utilizable, which is what the team needs to address.
Ocon described the car as “quite unstable” and pointed to inconsistencies across different speed ranges, due to the shifting performance profile from low speed to high speed. The team is working to rectify these inconsistencies and plans to try new solutions in the near future.
Looking back, Haas realized that there were signs of these issues during their Bahrain testing, but these were overlooked as they focused on medium/high-fuel runs. This is something the team regrets, as they could have made adjustments had they identified the issue earlier.
The team’s winter development also failed to flag these issues. Komatsu admitted that they “missed it” and acknowledged that the problem was not something that could have been identified in the wind tunnel. He pointed out that Haas’s computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology and wind tunnel data tools were areas where the team lagged behind.
Despite the severity of the issue, Haas remains optimistic. The team is committed to finding a solution, hoping for a short-term improvement in time for the third race in Japan. However, Komatsu acknowledges that it will take a few races before a substantial development can be made.
In the meantime, the team is focused on making the best of the current situation, starting with this weekend’s race in China. They plan to generate as much data as possible and seek valuable driver feedback. Rookie team-mate Ollie Bearman has been given strict instructions to avoid the mistakes he made in Melbourne, as his feedback is crucial to the team’s progress.
The Haas F1 team’s journey is a stark reminder of the unpredictability of racing and the everyday challenges a team must face and overcome. Despite their struggles, their determination to improve and learn from their mistakes is a testament to their resilience and commitment to the sport.