Oliver Bearman’s smile may be the clearest sign yet that something is beginning to change at Haas. The American team has arrived at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix with a major technical package for the VF-26, while Bearman is also benefiting from Ferrari’s evolved ADUO2 power unit. The combination immediately produced encouraging signs at Monza, with the British driver climbing to eighth place in Friday practice.
After an exciting start to the championship for a midfield team, Haas had effectively plateaued. Six consecutive Grands Prix without scoring a point sent the team sliding towards the rear of the field and raised questions over whether it could keep pace with the development rate of its direct rivals.
Haas responds to six races without points
Team principal Ayao Komatsu has accepted a significant share of the responsibility, admitting that Haas had not managed to direct enough resources towards the team to match the development programmes of Racing Bulls and Alpine, which are fighting to establish themselves at the head of the midfield.
Resources, however, have not been the only concern. There has also been a suspicion that some of the limited upgrades Haas introduced earlier in the season failed to deliver the expected results.
Aware of the increasingly difficult situation, Haas prepared a substantial technical development plan for the return from the summer break, splitting its new components between Zandvoort and Monza. Seeing Bearman return to the top 10 during Friday practice at the Italian Grand Prix provided an important morale boost.
Bearman finished eighth, ten positions ahead of team-mate Esteban Ocon, who endured a considerably more difficult session. The result came as Haas attempts to improve its position in the 2026 Formula 1 championship picture after its recent run without points.
Ferrari ADUO2 power unit gives Bearman Monza boost
One important difference between the two Haas cars is the power unit. Bearman, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, has received Ferrari’s latest ADUO2 specification, while Ocon is not yet running the same upgraded engine.
The evolved Ferrari 067/6 is estimated to provide around 15 additional horsepower, but outright power is not its only potential advantage. At Monza, the new specification should also allow improved energy distribution across the lap, an especially valuable benefit at a circuit dominated by long full-throttle sections.
The difference between the two VF-26 cars was noticeable in the recorded peak speeds. Bearman held an advantage of around 11 km/h at Ascari, which increased to approximately 15 km/h approaching the braking zone for Parabolica.
The Ferrari development is part of the manufacturer’s second ADUO step of the season, with the ADUO2 turbo development focusing on substantial internal improvements for the particularly demanding Monza weekend.
Haas introduces new VF-26 sidepods and floor
The engine is only one element of Haas’s Italian Grand Prix package. The developments introduced at Monza are not simply circuit-specific adaptations designed for the Temple of Speed; they form part of a wider attempt to make a genuine performance step and revive the team’s season during the second half of the championship.
Technical director Andrea De Zordo has overseen a substantial package of changes. The radiator inlet has been redesigned, with the cooling opening significantly reduced. That change has also allowed Haas to revise the profile of the sidepod itself.
The new bodywork is more tightly sculpted and features a more aggressive undercut, designed to send a greater quantity of airflow towards the floor and improve the car’s overall aerodynamic efficiency.
The floor is completely new as well. Particular attention has been paid to the floor edge ahead of the rear wheels, where two long slots have appeared along the outer section. The rear bodywork around the coke-bottle area has also been revised as Haas tries to improve the quality of the airflow reaching the back of the VF-26.
New Haas roll hoop targets lower drag
Another clearly visible change is the roll hoop. The previous design featured a squarer shape, whereas the new version has a smaller cross-section and a more rounded profile.
The objective is to reduce aerodynamic drag while simultaneously improving the efficiency of the rear wing. On a circuit such as Monza, where even relatively small reductions in resistance can translate into valuable straight-line speed, the benefit could be particularly useful.
The work complements Ferrari’s power unit development, which is itself about considerably more than simply adding horsepower. The broader technical objectives of the Ferrari Monza power unit upgrade include delivering energy efficiently throughout a lap on one of Formula 1’s most demanding layouts.
Monza-specific changes complete Haas upgrade package
Alongside the performance developments intended to remain on the VF-26 beyond Italy, Haas has naturally introduced several changes specifically suited to Monza’s extremely low-drag requirements.
The front-wing flap has been trimmed to reduce resistance, while the number of elements in the brake-duct winglet cascade has also been reduced in the search for higher maximum speeds. Haas has additionally removed the small flow-control profile associated with the blown outlet at the rear.
Taken together, the modifications represent one of Haas’s most significant technical responses of the season. The revised sidepods, completely new floor, narrower roll hoop and Monza-specific aerodynamic configuration have been combined with Ferrari’s latest power unit on Bearman’s car.
One Friday practice result cannot determine whether the VF-26 has definitively returned to the midfield fight, especially given the difference in specification and running between Bearman and Ocon. However, eighth place for Bearman has at least provided the first encouraging indication that the development programme could move Haas back towards the points positions after six difficult Grands Prix.
For a team that desperately needed its latest upgrades to work, seeing Oliver Bearman smiling again may be as important psychologically as the stopwatch itself.
Leave a Reply