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Haas has had a near-perfect start to the season and sits in fourth place in the constructors' championship, just behind McLaren. That's quite an achievement! The small American team has clearly adapted well to the new regulations and is now daring to dream big.
It's the surprise of this unprecedented start to the season. Haas has proven highly competitive in Melbourne and Shanghai, establishing itself as the top team in the midfield, behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren. It has even managed to outperform Red Bull so far.
For Ayao Komatsu, this successful start to the season is based above all on collective strength. The team principal emphasizes “team cohesion,” which he believes is essential to meeting the challenge of a rule change he describes as “colossal,” especially for “the smallest team on the grid.” Despite more limited resources, Haas compensates with its ability to adapt and its efficiency on the track. “With every lap we complete, we learn something,” he emphasizes, highlighting an “extremely rapid” pace of progress. This momentum now allows the American team to seize opportunities, even if everything isn't perfect yet, as evidenced by the fact that both cars haven't scored points simultaneously.
One unknown remains, however: Haas's ability to maintain this pace in the face of the expected rise in competitiveness from the top teams. Here again, Komatsu is clear-eyed. While he acknowledges that certain infrastructure is still lacking, he assures that the team is working in parallel on these areas of development, notably with the installation of a “simulator in Banbury as well as a few other tools.” Building on a foundation deemed “very good,” the Japanese engineer believes that everything will now depend on their ability to “find enough performance to keep pace with the others.”
Ollie Bearman, the man in form
This success isn't solely down to the car. It also relies on drivers in top form, starting with the young Ollie Bearman. The Briton is living up to the hopes placed in him, impressing with his steady progress. His speed “was never in doubt,” Komatsu notes, but it's especially in consistency and handling situations that he's taken a step forward.
“The way he processes information, understands the big picture, articulates it clearly, internalizes it, and applies it” already makes him a driving force within the team. “I see no limit to his potential,” says his team principal, clearly won over.
On the other side of the garage, Esteban Ocon has shown solid pace without being rewarded so far, due to unfavorable race circumstances. A victim of a “virtual safety car in Melbourne and a safety car at the worst possible moment in Shanghai,” the Frenchman prefers to focus on the positive: “the car's baseline performance is very good.” He now hopes that luck will turn in his favor to realize that potential as early as this weekend.
It remains to be seen whether this strong momentum can be sustained over the long term. But one thing is certain: Haas has no intention of playing second fiddle.
