Haas

Formula 1’s American team now has competition, but is still well placed to lead the way for the Stars and Stripes. Haas has been one of the few all-new entries to make things work with a string of respectable performances across its 10 seasons. While a breakthrough podium has proved elusive, there’s plenty of cause for optimism. Its long-standing links to Ferrari will certainly help this year, as will its new tech partner TGR (Toyota Gazoo Racing).

Haas has held its own in the midfield, helped by two strong drivers – particularly rising star Oliver Bearman, who made the team a consistent top-10 qualifier and points scorer toward the latter end of the season, capped by that excellent fourth in Mexico. This will be the first time the team has had to cope with a major regulatory shift having only raced in F1’s hybrid era, but its planning for the 2026 car actually began way back in mid-2024.

87 Oliver Bearman Born May 2005, Great Britain Starts 27 Wins 0 / Podiums 0 / Poles 0 Notable achievements 2022 FIA F3 third, 2021 German and Italian F4 champion

31 Esteban Ocon Born September 1996, France Starts 180 Wins 1 / Podiums 4 / Poles 0 Notable achievements 2015 GP3 Series champion, 2014 FIA F3 champion, 2013 Formula Renault Eurocup third

How F1’s ‘smallest team’ is tackling a rules revolution

Haas boss Komatsu says that no team is fully equipped for this season of change, never mind the minnow of the grid. He talks to pablo elizalde

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu believes no team will be fully equipped to tackle the 2026 regulations reset, as he opened up on the challenges of building a completely new car as the championship’s “smallest team”.

With sweeping changes to both aerodynamics and power units, Komatsu admitted the American squad, which launched its 2026 season on Monday, has been navigating the most challenging pre-season in its history.

“I would say so, especially for our size,” Komatsu said. ”The new regulations mean it’s financially challenging and regarding resources, everyone knows we’re still the smallest team. I don’t think any team, even the biggest, is going to say they’re fully equipped to tackle this. However, for us, the challenge is bigger. We need to focus on what we’ve got, what we’re good at, recognise our weaknesses but play to our strengths, and continue learning.”

Technical director Andrea De Zordo explained that while some visible changes – smaller bodywork, new front and rear wings, and the addition of a small board ahead of the floor stand out – the true revolution is hidden in how the power unit splits energy between the internal combustion engine and its accompanying electrical components.

“It’s a monumental change and one that will impact the way we go racing,” he said.

The shift in energy management, combined with new movable aerodynamic elements that can be deployed at the driver’s discretion, makes 2026 less a season of incremental gains and more a test of adaptability and understanding.

Managing the development of two cars simultaneously has been a central challenge for Haas.

“This is the first time haas has had to cope with a major regulatory shift”

De Zordo revealed that work on the VF-26 began in earnest in the latter half of 2024, initially with a small group focused on concept studies, before the team gradually shifted resources after the summer break last year.

“We had a small group still working on the VF-25 until pretty late on due to the tight championship fight,” he said.

From dummy chassis tests and homologation to front wing lab testing and first simulator assessments, the team has already endured what De Zordo describes as a marathon of preparation. “When we think we’re at the end of it, I suspect it will just be the beginning,” he said.

For a team operating with limited resources, each milestone carries disproportionate weight: small delays or errors could compound into significant setbacks in the project.

De Zordo said that the new regulations, shifting the balance between aerodynamics and energy management, make an initial understanding of the power unit critical.

“Initially with the PU, as it’s all so new, there is – not necessarily more to gain, but a lot more to lose if you don’t do well. To understand how it works and how to maximise that will probably be the most important part,” De Zordo said.

For Haas, a team with fewer engineers than most rivals, the margin for error is smaller, placing additional pressure on efficient learning.

Komatsu emphasised that 2026 is not just about technical adaptation but also about mindset. The team has grown steadily in recent years, both in size and in operational maturity, but this season represents a quantum leap in complexity.

“We need to focus on what we’ve got, what we’re good at, recognise our weaknesses but play to our strengths, and continue learning,” he said. The early races will serve as a crash course in both energy and aerodynamic management, with the team needing to react swiftly to unexpected developments.

“It’s a monumental change, and one that will impact how we go racing”

Driver preparation has mirrored the team’s technical intensity. Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon have been heavily involved in simulator sessions to explore the permutations of energy deployment and aerodynamic control, preparing for scenarios ranging from single-lap qualifying performance to extended race stints.

Komatsu described this as the “homework phase,” critical to minimising surprises once the cars hit the track in Barcelona.

The first few races will be crucial, both for learning and for establishing confidence in new systems.

Komatsu outlined a clear early-season priority for his team: “First and foremost, we must get on top of power unit management, then aerodynamic development. If we have to change direction or look at different concepts, we’ve got to do that promptly.”

The fight to remain F1’s american team

Will Haas’s Ferrari – powered model – now subtly evolving as a new American rival arrives – still be enough to define its place in Formula 1?

Haas’s start to life in the new era of Formula 1 began without grand declarations for the championship’s rules reset. That restraint has been familiar for a team that has, since its inception, been part of the midfield. But beneath the understatement lies one of the most quietly consequential moments in the team’s history, as it will seek to validate the long-standing philosophy behind the entire project: its relationship with Ferrari.

The car it rolls out for the first grand prix in Australia will signal whether Haas still knows exactly what it is at its core.

No team has leaned more openly into technical dependency than Haas. From its inception, it has embraced a pragmatic model built around Ferrari engines and parts, outsourcing, and efficiency rather than sprawling its own infrastructure.

For years, that approach has been alternately praised as honest and cost-efficient, and criticised as inherently limiting and even unfair. Under the 2026 rules, that strategy risks becoming more exposed than ever. The new power-unit regulations place unprecedented importance on integration.

Energy deployment, cooling, packaging and long-term development calls are no longer secondary concerns that can be optimised over time. They will be foundational, and for a customer team, that means the quality of the engine could matter as much as the depth of alignment with its supplier.

This is why Haas’s 2026 launch is, in effect, a referendum on its Ferrari partnership. That does not mean Haas is unaware of the limits of its approach.

Its recent technical partnership with Toyota, focused on simulation tools, manufacturing support and operational expertise rather than core powertrain elements, is a quiet acknowledgement that survival in Formula 1’s next era may require reinforcement beyond just Maranello. Toyota is not an alternative to Ferrari, nor a step towards manufacturer status. But it is a signal that Haas understands the danger of standing still, particularly as the grid evolves around it.

“cadillac’s arrival does challenge haas’ uniqueness”

One is building towards something; the other has spent a decade proving that simply staying in Formula 1 on its own terms is an achievement. As unlikely as that is, the danger for Haas is not just that Cadillac immediately outperforms it, but that it makes Haas look static. As Haas did in 2016, Cadillac is starting from scratch, although with a lot more resources given the manufacturer backing and its ambitions.

Still, that pressure will be present in every detail throughout the year.

America’s team in dispute?

There is also an American dimension that Haas can no longer take for granted.

For years, it has been Formula 1’s lone American flag-bearer, carrying that identity through tough seasons and moments of genuine competitiveness alike.

Cadillac’s arrival does not erase that legacy, but it does challenge Haas’ uniqueness, as it will be the first time F1 has two American-owned teams competing simultaneously in a full season.

Haas calls itself “America’s F1 team”, but from this year and with Cadillac on the grid, it will have to strive to be more than that.

This season is its chance to remind the paddock that it is not a placeholder waiting to be replaced by a shinier team.

None of this means Haas needs to promise the impossible, particularly given its independent status. Its goals will remain grounded: score points finishes, midfield relevance, and achieve consistency.

“Haas understands the danger of standing still”

But 2026 raises the bar for credibility. If Haas is to remain Ferrari’s natural partner, rather than its secondary customer, it must show that its model still works when the rules change completely.

Haas needs to look prepared, integrated and comfortable with its choices. Because while others will use their 2026 cars to sell visions of the future, Haas will be doing something more fragile – and perhaps more difficult.

It will be proving that the foundations of its approach – carefully adapted rather than reinvented – still have a future. And in a championship that is about to welcome a new American team, that may matter more than ever.