Haas will bring what team principal Ayao Komatsu describes as a “small update” to this weekend’s American Grand Prix, but a close gap in the midfield could increase its impact.
Most teams were completely focused on their 2026 cars, with very few upgrades introduced after the summer break. However, Haas will be introducing some new parts in Austin this weekend and Komatsu believes the team is strong enough to compete for a double points finish at its home race.
“Honestly, I don’t know. We’re looking at the problem at hand, and I don’t see why we can’t be competitive,” Komatsu told SiriusXM. “But it’s always a very slim margin.
“Every detail has to be right, whether the tire compound is working, whether the car is balanced properly, whether the downforce levels are right. So if we get everything right, I’m sure both cars can fight for points.”
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“We’re going to give a small update, but I’m not expecting too much of it. It’s not massive. But again, the margin is very small. We lost eighth place to (Isaac) Hajar in qualifying (in Singapore) by four-hundredths of a second.”
“So, for example, if we say the upgrade is only four-hundredths of a second, that helps. But you have to stay focused and try to get everything out of the car and everything out of both drivers.”
Haas will also run special livery at COTA (above and main image)but due to the nature of the sprint weekend, new parts that can only be evaluated in FP1 are exciting for rookie Olly Bearman.
“We feel like we’re gaining momentum every weekend. We know the car is fast, and with more updates coming for the VF-25 in Austin, we feel like this should be a strong weekend,” Bearman said.
“This is my first American Grand Prix as a driver for the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, so I know it’s going to be full-on, but I’m really happy to soak up the atmosphere and passion of all the American fans. COTA will definitely be a highlight of the season as we share our mutual passion and love for this team and the sport.”