Esteban Ocon’s seventh place in the recent Monaco GP restored strength and confidence to Haas, which had failed to finish in the points with either driver in the previous three races, due to both retirements and finishes outside the top ten. After a solid start to the championship, the American team will now try to bounce back at the Catalan circuit of Montmeló, home of the Spanish Grand Prix, both to confirm their form and defend their sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Objective: back-to-back points
They will try with Esteban Ocon, who will rely on the experience gained over the years at the track from both race weekends and pre-season testing, like many other drivers this weekend: “Spain is important to me because part of my family lives near the circuit and I’ve often been here during my racing career. The first time I drove a single-seater was in Spain, and one of my first victories came here in Formula Renault,” the Frenchman recalled. “It’s a track we know very well, almost the home of Formula 1, given how many winter tests have been held here over the years. It’s a very interesting circuit that I like, with many high-speed corners. I can’t wait to see how the car performs on such a fast track. We’re at the end of this triple-header (Imola, Monaco and Spain), and I think it’s great to be racing consistently, even if doubling or tripling the workload must be done in such a short time. When you’re getting good results, it’s great to maintain momentum, but when you need to focus on important goals, sometimes you have to step back and analyze. So far, I feel fresh: it’s still the beginning of the season!”
Return to the top 10
Looking to quickly forget Monaco is Esteban Ocon’s teammate, Oliver Bearman. The British rookie finished 12th after a qualifying penalty forced him to start from the back of the grid. He is now aiming to return to the top ten, something that has eluded him for four races, since the Bahrain GP: “After a bit of bad luck, I’m looking forward to seeing what our upgrade package from Imola can do,” he said. “I feel confident in the car, the pace has always been there, and I have a lot of experience on this circuit, so I’m looking forward to ending this triple-header on a high. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a high-downforce track where overtaking isn’t easy, but it’s a great place to show what the VF-25 is capable of, and after three weeks away for most of the team, I want to give them something nice to take home.” – the Ferrari junior pointed out.
Hirakawa in FP1
Finally, in FP1 Haas will run Japanese test driver Ryo Hirakawa. Already present this year in the Alpine at Suzuka and in Bahrain with Haas, the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours winner will take part in his third free practice session of the season, replacing Esteban Ocon: “First of all, I really appreciate this second opportunity to take part in FP1, so a big thanks to the team. Barcelona has some fast corners and long straights, so it will be another demanding FP1, but I feel much better prepared compared to Bahrain. I’ve worked with the team of engineers to get ready, but of course, it’s only a one-hour session, so I’ll do my best to gather valuable data for the team and help them have a stronger weekend. Let’s focus on getting the most out of that hour.”
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