Haas is preparing to return to action after an excellent opening phase of the season, with the car scoring points in every round so far. In Miami, the goal is not only to maintain that consistency but to improve further.
Back at the factory, the team has been working intensively to try to outperform direct rivals and ensure that both Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon feel even more comfortable with the VF-26 upon their return to the track.
While waiting to see how the weekend unfolds, we report the thoughts of team principal Ayao Komatsu and the driver pairing of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon.
The words of Ayao Komatsu
“Although we have all missed the excitement of competition, the time away from the circuits after the Japanese Grand Prix has been used in the best possible way across all team activities. We had the opportunity to enjoy fantastic moments interacting with fans and partners alongside the drivers – events we would not normally have been able to attend during a standard start to the season.”
“From a technical perspective, we have deepened our understanding of the VF-26 after the first three races. We obviously had more time to analyse the data from those events, and we continued to work on improving both reliability and, ultimately, the performance of the car.”
“We head to Miami eager to build on the performance that has allowed us to score points in every round so far, but we believe there is still potential to unlock. We had good momentum before the break – which in reality was anything but a break. Finally, it is a Sprint weekend, which always brings time pressure and challenges – but it is the same for everyone. The positive thing is that we are back racing, and we always enjoy Miami. We cannot wait to get started,” he concluded.
The words of Bearman and Ocon
“I’m really excited to be racing again. It’s been a long break and Miami is a fun circuit. We have a Sprint weekend, which is still a big challenge for us with these new regulations. We are discovering new things in every session, so I can’t wait to explore the nuances and challenges of Miami. Hopefully we can continue our strong start to the season and everyone is recharged and ready to give their maximum,” said Ollie Bearman.
Bearman and Ocon during the pre-race in Japan.
“Miami is probably the first race of the year where it will be very hot and humid, so it’s a situation we have not yet experienced with the new cars. Obviously, it is a Sprint event, so we will need to learn quickly,” added Esteban Ocon.
“We have worked a lot in the simulator in advance to try to set up the car in the best possible way, but there are things you only discover in FP1 if you have a clean session, so that will be the goal. The car has worked quite well in the first two events, so we are aiming for a strong weekend and hopefully we can bring home some points for the team,” he concluded.
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