The Mexico City race made an impact on the Constructors’ standings, with Ferrari’s double podium allowing it to overtake Red Bull and move to within thirty points of McLaren. However, the Mexican round also proved crucial in the midfield, especially in the chase for sixth place, with Haas and Racing Bulls as key players.
In the last five races, including the Austin Sprint, Haas has scored nearly 20 points, with eight coming from the recent Mexico City GP, where the American team achieved an impressive double top-10 with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg. Kevin Magnussen’s 7th-place finish, combined with Hulkenberg’s 9th despite tire difficulties, allowed Haas to widen the gap with Racing Bulls, now trailing by ten points in the standings.
The most important element beyond raw points, however, is the recent trend in races. Haas has scored points in the last five rounds, whereas Racing Bulls managed a top-10 only in Austin with Liam Lawson, who finished 9th in his VCARB01. Outside of Austin, Racing Bulls’ last points finish was a 10th place by Daniel Ricciardo before the summer break, following three other top-10s.
The Racing Bulls’ challenges also stem from updates that haven’t always met expectations, such as the new floor introduced at Monza, which Yuki Tsunoda initially doubted would be effective in high-speed corners. Additionally, due to unfortunate incidents, the team from Faenza missed out on favorable tracks for their car, like Singapore and Mexico, which feature slow corners where the VCARB01 has generally performed well.
Haas, which introduced a substantial upgrade package in Austin, capitalized by collecting 13 points over the last two races. With only four rounds left in the season, this is a significant boost in the race for 6th place—a valuable goal not only because it confirms the American team’s progress after finishing last season in last place, but also because it would secure substantial financial rewards from FOM prizes.
Since the departure of Günther Steiner, Haas has restructured its engineering organization, showing improved performance in developments—an area that had been a consistent challenge in previous years, partly due to funding limitations. The recent top-10 finishes signal a positive outlook for the team, which has emerged as one of the most consistent performers in the midfield this season.
In Mexico, Kevin Magnussen finally found the confidence he had been missing at other circuits, partly thanks to updates that seemed to slightly adjust the car’s balance to his preference, and partly due to additional adjustments to the brakes: “In the last two races, I felt very confident with the car. It was enjoyable to drive, which I think is partly due to some changes made to the brakes. The updates also suited me, giving us a stronger rear and a slightly weaker front, which isn’t bad for me,” the Dane explained.
Magnussen added, “I think we did our best in Mexico. We couldn’t have done better with another attempt. The car felt perfectly tuned, very comfortable, and gave me confidence. We didn’t make any mistakes throughout the race. It was easy to drive; I could push and manage the tires simultaneously, and I managed to get them into that narrow window where magic happens,” noting his consistent performance throughout the weekend, including qualifying, where he has generally faced more challenges than his teammate this season.
However, brakes were a factor that impacted Nico Hulkenberg’s weekend in Mexico. From the start of practice, he reported low confidence in deceleration, especially in the last phase of braking at demanding corners. Additionally, during the race, Nico Hulkenberg dealt with some tire management issues due to graining, though he ultimately secured a valuable 9th place.
Reflecting on the car’s continuous improvement over the season, Komatsu emphasized that these consistent upgrades to the VF-24 have allowed the team to set higher goals, such as aiming for 6th place: “It’s fantastic to see that we’ve implemented several updates throughout the year, each making the car faster, something that hadn’t been the case before. This has given us a lot of confidence.”
“The update package we introduced at Silverstone was significant, and the one we brought to Austin was an evolution of it. It’s gratifying to see how well the entire team is working now. Finishing 6th in the Constructors’ would mean a lot. At the start of the season, our target was 8th; we never expected to be competing for 6th. But with all the updates we’ve added to the car and the drivers’ performances, we’re fighting for that 6th spot,” added the Japanese Team Principal.
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