Haas has responded impressively. The American outfit brought its first major upgrade of the 2025 Formula 1 season to Suzuka, the venue for the third Grand Prix of the year.
The entire team, from the design department to aerodynamics, was involved in a swift and effective solution to the issues encountered by the VF-25s at the Australian Grand Prix. This came after a strong performance in China, where both Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman finished in the points—an unexpected result given the aerodynamic struggles noted in Melbourne’s fast corners.
Ahead of Suzuka, another circuit featuring multiple high-speed turns, Haas introduced a modified floor to eliminate—or at least reduce—the aerodynamic oscillations that significantly hampered the VF-25s in Australia.
“In order to bring these new components to Japan, we had to shorten our processing times. Honestly, I can’t say whether the difference will be significant compared to the last two races,” said Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu.
“Depending on what we see, it could go as badly as in Melbourne or even better than in Shanghai. I think Free Practice 1 will be crucial for us. As soon as we complete a lap or even just go through the first sector, we’ll have a better idea if our efforts were enough.”
Ayao Komatsu’s explanation of why the new component arrived in Suzuka highlights the team’s more aggressive approach in recent months, bolstered by Toyota Gazoo Racing’s support. Unlike previous seasons, Haas is now committed to quickly identifying and resolving problems, even if it means accelerating development processes and allocating resources within the season’s Budget Cap.
“We had to bring something. We couldn’t come here with the same car from Melbourne and just hope for a better result. We wanted to have as much control as possible. It’s purely a risk management decision to speed up our development.”
“In China, we didn’t experience the aerodynamic oscillations we had in Australia. We could run the setup we wanted and generate the necessary downforce. We were worried about Turn 7, but when we analyzed the data, we saw we were actually quite strong. That’s when we realized we could set up the car as intended. In Melbourne, we simply couldn’t—we had to race on the defensive.”
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