Esteban Ocon’s flawless tyre management in Canada earned Haas F1 vital points, showcasing strategic brilliance and strong race pace in Montreal.
Haas F1 scored two more points at the Canadian Grand Prix, thanks to Esteban Ocon’s very long 57-lap stint, during which he managed to maintain pace and finish ninth after 70 laps of racing.
“Overall, the team achieved a good result with ninth place, Esteban climbing from 14th into the points,” Komatsu said, highlighting the strategic risks taken with both Haas cars, which didn’t benefit Oliver Bearman.
“We decided to split the strategy between Ollie and Esteban. Now, Ollie’s scenario – starting on mediums and getting stuck behind drivers on hards – was fully anticipated. That’s what happened, and it didn’t work out for him.”
“Esteban’s strategy, although slower on paper, turned out to be excellent. I think both drivers drove very well; Ollie was frustrated by the traffic, but he clearly had the pace, and Esteban’s tyre management was perfect, and he didn’t make a single mistake.”
The Japanese engineer lamented the team’s struggle to find rhythm early in the weekend: “We showed that we had good race pace, but for the next event, we need to make the most of Free Practice on Friday to improve our qualifying performance.”