Plenty of negative coverage has surrounded Haas in 2024 so far, but the American outfit’s testing in Bahrain was relatively encouraging. Whilst there are still obvious weaknesses and limitations, the VF-24 completed a very comprehensive programme in Sakhir.
With the departure of Guenther Steiner and the arrival of Ayao Komatsu, there is plenty of change at Haas. For the first time since 2016, new ownership is at the helm of Formula 1’s perennial underdogs.
However, a relative lack of funding and resources will persist for the foreseeable future. This gives team boss Komatsu the unenviable task of turning last year’s 10th-placed team into something more.
Heading into testing, expectations were very low. The Japanese team principal has made clear that the beginning of the season will be a difficult spell.
This was reflected by their run-plan in testing, which consisted almost exclusively of race simulations. As outlined weeks ago, Haas was focused on understanding and resolving their issues with tyre degradation.
Considering the last twelve months, this approach is sensible. There is little sense in making the car faster if – inevitably – it goes backwards across a race distance.
Haas F1 Team filming day, Silverstone, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24
Speaking after day 3 of pre-season testing, Komatsu was clearly pleased:
“We completed our first qualifying sim, looking at the low-fuel car balance. Then, we completed two race simulations – one with Kevin and one with Nico.
“We successfully achieved all of this despite the track issues today. It’s been a very, very good day, basically.
“Our race simulations show that yes, we’ve got lots more work to do, but at the same time, we’ve got a base car that we can actually race.
“Considering the qualifying performance. We haven’t worked on it at all. Today was our first time looking at it, but again, it was decent. We’ve had a very good start to the season with all this preparation in testing.”
Based on the race simulations completed this week, the VF-24 is kinder to its tyres than its predecessor. Although it would be difficult to produce a car with worse management than the 2023 car, this is still a positive step.
Provided they can unlock some performance, they should be more competitive during race trim.
At least, unlike last season, there should not be an often depressing drop-off from Saturday to Sunday. Moreover, if pre-season testing is anything to go by, Ferrari seems to have made a reasonable step forward.
Since Haas takes several parts from Maranello, this could provide a much-needed boost for the American team.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
