Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu felt “really good” after Haas’s 154 laps during day 1 at the F1 Barcelona shakedown.
Haas is back after day one of the Barcelona shakedown, completing more laps with their VF-26 than any other team. Team boss Ayao Komatsu is happy about Haas’s “huge amount of work” during the winter break to hit the ground running at The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Komatsu told Formula1.com: “Yeah, in terms of mileage, we managed this morning, it was really good. But, you know, behind the scenes it’s a huge, huge amount of work. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone, but to even make the shakedown and then do the full mileage on the shakedown was a huge task. That was Saturday and then coming from Fiorano on Saturday to, you know, get us ready to run on Monday morning here and then to do 67 laps on the day one morning was really, really good.”
With four more days left in the Barcelona shakedown, the American team still has a lot to learn about the new regulations in two of those. Komatsu noted that everyone at Haas learns “learn something new” after every run with the new chassis and power unit.
“So now we can start looking a bit more in the details, but yeah, with this brand new regulation it’s very, very important to run and then every time we go out we learn something new.”
“Very satisfying” run for Komatsu and Haas in F1 Barcelona shakedown
Komatsu noted that hitting their goals to reach the Barcelona shakedown was “very satisfying” after other teams experienced delays. Williams announced it would not participate in the first week of testing, and Aston Martin would miss out on the first three days of the Barcelona shakedown.
When asked about Haas’s development, Komatsu answered: “It’s been absolutely huge, and then, I don’t know, yeah, it’s very satisfying that we hit our target of doing a shakedown and then be ready for day one of this Barcelona test. So that bit is very, very satisfying, but now that we are running, we’re discovering, let’s say, issues, problems we need to solve every lap, every run, but that’s what we are here for, right?”
Even though Haas was able to hit the track for the Barcelona shakedown, there is a significant amount more testing and learning to complete before the Australian GP.
“At least we are running, that means we’re gathering data, we are identifying issues that we need to solve. So yeah, it’s still obviously we just got started, but I’m very, very happy how we started.”
Teamwork during the Barcelona shakedown
Haas Driver, Esteban Ocon, finished day one of the Barcelona shakedown 5th fastest. However, the Frenchman completed the most laps, 154.
Komatsu shared that teamwork with Haas’s drivers and engineers during the F1 Barcelona shakedown “is even more important now as they have a key part to play under these new regulations.
“It’s, let’s say, huge work with driver in the loop. It’s not something drivers can do themselves, it’s not something engineers can sort it by themselves, so the teamwork is even more important now. So really engineers and drivers working together, which is what this sport is all about, but it’s a huge challenge. So I think you will see lots of evolution, throughout the testing part of the season, which will be interesting for everyone, I think.
“Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And the fact that, drivers got such a big influence and the drivers has to play even more bigger parts now, I think it’s really good.“
