The Audi F1 Team has surprised the competition with its engine, receiving significant praise in its debut season in 2026. Specifically, Ayao Komatsu, head of the Haas team, highlighted the quality of the Audi engine, stating that it is “very, very good”.
In a promising start, Haas currently finds itself fourth in the standings after two races. With Oliver Bearman finishing seventh in Melbourne and fifth in Shanghai, the team is firmly competing in the new regulatory environment of Formula 1.
Despite Haas’s rise in the rankings, Komatsu has not wanted to take for granted that having a Ferrari engine offers a definitive advantage. On the contrary, he emphasized that Audi has proven to be a serious competitor, assuring that their performance in speed is remarkable.
Audi, which this year begins its journey as a full team after acquiring Sauber, has received significant attention. Gabriel Bortoleto, one of the team’s drivers, has already scored points and participated in Q3 during the first Grand Prix in Australia.
Komatsu expressed his surprise at the idea that Haas has a clear advantage and has called for a review of performance data to validate this claim. According to him, Audi’s energy deployment capability is truly impressive and positions them as serious rivals on the grid.
With the aim of competing with four engine manufacturers, including Ford, Mercedes, and Renault, Komatsu admits that the team will need to learn quickly to optimize their performance and remain competitively advanced.
The comments from Audi and Haas reflect the intensity of a season start that promises to be highly competitive, with a focus on the upcoming races.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
