The Haas team capitalized on the disqualifications of Pierre Gasly and both Ferrari drivers during the Chinese GP. Three additional retirements resulted in a double points finish for the Americans, who have made a strong comeback from the disastrous season opener in Melbourne. Notably, Esteban Ocon moved up to fifth place, positioning himself behind reigning world champion Max Verstappen. Teammate Oliver Bearman followed in P8.
The opening race in Melbourne did not yield the results Haas had hoped for. The team seemed to have the slowest car on the field; Haas debutant Esteban Ocon finished in thirteenth place, followed by rookie teammate Oliver Bearman. Team boss Ayao Komatsu is delighted that the team collected as many as fourteen points in Shanghai. “Australia was a shock to us,” he responded after the race. “We absolutely did not expect this based on the tests in Bahrain – but man, what a response.” He emphasized the joint effort of team members in Italy, Great Britain, and the United States to implement improvements within a few days.
‘Circuit Dependent’
However, Komatsu warned that this resurgence is likely circuit dependent, as the aerodynamic defects of the VF-25 still need to be resolved. “I’m not fooling myself by saying we’ve solved the problem – we haven’t,” he clarified. “On certain circuits, we will still have a major problem. But if we can get the car to run the way we want, thanks to the characteristics of the circuit, then these kinds of results are simply possible.””I’m just so happy that we’ve absorbed that initial shock and were able to achieve this result,” he concluded. “Everyone has failed at some point, right? But failure shouldn’t define you. What defines you is how you rise after that failure – and I think we’ve shown that as a team.”
Remarkable Turnaround
Esteban Ocon broke into the top ten early on the medium tires, while Oliver Bearman – who had qualified as P17 – made progress on the hardest compound. At the last minute, both opted for a one-stop strategy, which allowed them to move even further forward. For Ocon, his spot in the top five has lifted a weight off his shoulders. “A remarkable turnaround by the team,” the Frenchman reacted after the race.
“Everyone really put in the effort these past few days because we knew there was more in the car. Great work has been done.” He also praised the team’s strategy: “It wasn’t clear beforehand that we would have enough with one pit stop, but it worked well. Of course, it’s also great that Ollie (Bearman) finished in the points; that’s very valuable for our team.”
