Ayao Komatsu says nobody will have the same spec car for the Barcelona pre-season F1 test and the one they eventually start the season with in Australia.
With teams running only a base car even during filming days to start F1 2026 season, Haas team boss Komatsu has highlighted that nobody will have same spec car from Barcelona to Bahrain to eventually in Australia. He expects lots of changes and additions made by all the 11 teams.
Considering the size of the regulation changes, which includes a revamp of V6 hybrid system, the FIA together with F1 decided to stage three pre-season tests. The first Barcelona running will be more like a shakedown and will take place behind the curtains, with no coverage of it.
The two Bahrain tests will see partial coverage. It is expected that teams will use Barcelona test to just go through the on-track numbers after running the car on simulators for most part. It will also allow them to run the power units on track at good power for the first time after dyno running.
Komatsu expects the changes as well. “The car everyone will see in Barcelona won’t be the car that races in Australia, and I think that will be across the board, because it’s simply too early,” he said. “It’s different perhaps having one test two weeks before the first race, but with over a month before the first race, teams won’t stop wind tunnel development.
“Hence, the cars testing in Barcelona, and even the first week of testing in Bahrain will be less mature compared to what’s built in Australia for the first race. Between Barcelona shakedown week and the final Bahrain test, you will see very different cars across the grid focused on their aero package, because on the PU side of things, the hardware is pretty much set.
“How we’re going to use that PU, that’s the biggest thing. In Barcelona, everybody is going to be focused on how best to optimize energy usage, and that needs to develop very quickly for everyone,” summed up Komatsu, post the launch of Haas’ livery for F1 2026 on a base VF-26 car. The American team undertook normal pre-season practice of unveiling renders before the actual car.
It has been large work for Haas to prepare for F1 2026 changes. It is the first time for the American team to prepare for a regulation change since their debut. The 2022 change wasn’t as huge. And Komatsu agrees that the period was toughest for a team like Haas, who are still small when compared to big manufacturers. It was a huge challenge to get everything together.
“I would say so, especially for our size,” continued Komatsu. “The new regulations mean it’s financially challenging and regarding resources, everyone knows we’re still the smallest team. It’s a huge challenge, and as Team Principal, the responsibility is bigger, ensuring that this team is equipped to tackle this massive regulation change.
“I don’t think any team, even the biggest, is going to say they’re fully equipped to tackle this, however for us, the challenge is bigger. We need to focus on what we’ve got, what we’re good at, recognize our weaknesses but play to our strengths, and continue learning. We’ve got to learn pretty fast with these new regulations. There will be surprises once everyone is up and running, for sure, and it’s going to be about sticking together, reacting, and adapting as quickly as possible.”
Here’s Ayao Komatsu on a bit serious issue on Day 3
Here’s shakedown in Fiorano
Here’s Haas drivers and Ayao Komatsu highlight PU management