Ayao Komatsu says the first couple of F1 races has satisfied Haas in terms of its race pace situation, but they need more validation ahead.
The winter and also the pre-season test saw Haas prepare extensively to limit its tyre degradation and improve its race pace to go with a better qualifying trim. They expected a slow start and were prepared to be towards the end of the grid.
But the first two races has already yielded them a point – thanks to Kevin Magnussen who aided Nico Hulkenberg to score one in Saudi Arabia. Both the Dane and the German has enjoyed a better pace, whether it was in Bahrain and or Jeddah.
Magnussen managed to hold off the Visa Cash App RB drivers in Bahrain and defended again in Saudi Arabia, which created the chance for Hulkenberg to be in the Top 10. Seeing the first two rounds, Haas chief is satisfied with the race pace thus far.
But the real test lay ahead for them and they need more races to be certain about things working for them. “Having focused our pre-season testing on our biggest weakness from last year – our race pace – I think after the first races which are two very different circuits in very different conditions, we’re pretty satisfied that we have made a step forward both in terms of car and set-up,” said Komatsu.
“In the next few races, we need to prove until we do four races, four different tracks, with different tires and climates, we can’t make a concrete conclusion. Between Bahrain and Jeddah, which are two very different circuits and in both races we performed strongly, that’s a very positive takeaway. Scoring points in Saudi was extremely important.
“As soon as we completed pre-season testing, we knew that we were going to be fighting for the last points, P9 or P10, with four other teams, minimum. I was slightly unhappy after the Bahrain Grand Prix because I felt we could’ve done better in terms of strategy to give ourselves the best chance. In Jeddah, we absolutely did that by maximizing the team’s strategy, with Kevin creating space for Nico.
“From that point on, they both drove faultlessly, Kevin was driving to the target lap time and Nico didn’t make any mistakes and extended the stint. Kevin also showed that once he was free, he showed how much pace he had so it again proves that we have a strong car this season in terms of consistent race pace,” summed up Komatsu.
With the learning from the two different circuits to start with, Haas is looking ahead at Melbourne this weekend and also China and Japan which are another set of circuits for them to learn more. Komatsu is gearing up to better understand the strength and weaknesses of the VF-24 which will help them take better development route.
“I’m looking forward to Melbourne, again it’s a very different circuit,” continued Komatsu. “The downforce level will be back to Bahrain’s level, but it’s a very different circuit from there. Bahrain is more traction-orientated whereas Melbourne is a bit more mixed. It has front limitation as well, and under high speed it’s a bit more limited and then the type of corner is very different.
“In terms of car set-up, even though the demands are different, we’re still going to be focused on the long-run pace. Degradation won’t be as low as Jeddah, or as high as Bahrain, so somewhere in between. It will also be the first time this year that we use the C5 tyre compound.
“Historically, we’ve struggled to get the tires to work in qualifying, so it’s going to be interesting. Another big factor is tire graining, which previously dominated our tire degradation. We haven’t had severe graining this year so far, so this will be another new challenge for us to manage this weekend.
“Bahrain is a rough traction, rear-limited circuit and Jeddah is much higher speed with smooth tarmac and with lower downforce level. Melbourne has a similar downforce level to Bahrain, but not as rear limited, it has got high-speed corners and the type of corner is different.
“When we go to Suzuka, that famous Sector 1 with medium- to high-speed corners, they all have different demands. So, after those four races, we can draw a better conclusion about what the strengths and weaknesses of the VF-24 are and how we can manage it,” summed up the Haas chief.
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