Haas introduces a new floor at Suzuka, with high hopes but a risky strategy. The team must navigate potential progress or disaster.
This weekend in Japan, Haas F1 introduces a new floor for its VF-25, which has experienced aerodynamic instability in the first two races of the season. After solid performance in China, the team faced a disastrous weekend in Australia.
Ayao Komatsu, the team’s director and a local to this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, explains how this new component was developed faster than usual, and the potential risks involved.
Haas Takes a Risk with New Component
“I can’t say for certain what the difference will be, because to get the parts here, we had to drastically shorten the process,” Komatsu admitted. “It’s a risk. It’s all about judgment. But for me, we had no other option.”
“The magnitude of the problem in Melbourne was huge. We were the slowest car on the track. So, we had to make a change. Honestly, we relied on the understanding of our aerodynamic engineers and designers to implement certain modifications.”
Komatsu reassures that the new component has shown positive results in both computer simulations and wind tunnel tests, but there are still uncertainties regarding the correlation: “Some things are different from a geometric and aerodynamic perspective. We’ve relied on the latest knowledge from everyone, with no proof yet.”
“Because we had to design, release, and manufacture the part, there was no way we could have made it here without doing so. So, we had to move forward. Afterward, we put it in the wind tunnel to see if the idea was right. And it is. There’s no doubt it’s the right direction. But I don’t know how big of a difference it will make.”
Haas Faces Crucial Moment at Suzuka
Komatsu cautions that, despite the minor changes, these adjustments could either lead to significant progress or major setbacks: “They are small differences, but they could either lead to something catastrophic or not.”
“Depending on what we see, it could be as bad as Melbourne or even better than Shanghai. I think the first day is crucial for us. Once we complete a lap or hit the first sector, we’ll know where we stand.”
“We had to bring something new. We couldn’t just show up here with the same car from Melbourne and hope for the best. We wanted to take as much control as possible. It’s all about judgment and risk management in shortening the process.”
“It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s an honest feeling. As soon as we complete a lap and pass through the first sector, we’ll know whether it’s going to be like Melbourne or not.”
Haas Optimizes Setup for Suzuka
In Australia, Haas had more freedom with car settings: “Since we didn’t have any aerodynamic oscillation problems, we were able to adjust the car the way we wanted and achieve the aerodynamic downforce. That’s the potential you saw in Shanghai.”
“If you look at our turn 7, it was very fast. I was worried we might have an issue in turn 7 or maybe at the entry of turn 1, but that wasn’t the case. We were able to set the car up as we wanted. In Melbourne, we couldn’t— the car kept spinning.”
“If there’s a bump, it can trigger the oscillation, and once it starts, you can’t stop it. But there are corners like turn 12 in Melbourne, the right-hander. In that corner, we also had a lot of oscillation, but we were still fast.”
“Even with oscillation in the corners, it’s manageable, but turn 10— or the transition between turns 9 and 10— is the worst combination. We can’t gain speed, then we hit the compression, and that’s where it all ends.”
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Haas’ Risky New Floor: Will It Lead to Success or Setback? Haas’ Risky New Floor: Will It Lead to Success or Setback?
