Fresh off announcing a landmark partnership with Toyota, there is more good news for Haas. The American outfit are bringing upgrades to the VF-24 in COTA, representing their final major package of 2024.
Sitting 7th in the Championship and just three points behind VCARB in 6th, there is everything to play for.
Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo have failed to score points since the summer break, with upgrades VCARB 01 failing to deliver. This gives Haas a window of opportunity they – which they hope to capitalise on.
Despite their limited resources, Ayao Komatsu’s squad have brought upgrades with regularity in 2024. Not only have the quantity of updates been strong, but these new components to the VF-24 have consistently worked as expected.
Ahead of the team’s home race in America, technical director Andrea De Zordo explained Haas’ expectations:
“In Austin we’re bringing our main update for the final part of the season which will mainly involve another step of development in the floor and bodywork.
“The target, as always, will be to improve aero load in order to make the car faster.
“It’s difficult to be making a big step in lap time, so we’re speaking about small numbers. But in the tight midfield fight everything is an important step, and we hope to deliver.
“This is a development and further evolution of our package. Not something new[in terms of concept] – although the car will look a bit different.”
As mentioned by Haas’ technical director, fine margins have separated the field this season. In the context of there being a definitive top 4 group in F1, scoring points for midfield teams is increasingly difficult.
Since the summer break, upgrades at Williams have provided the British team with a vital boost. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto are both fighting for points on a regular basis.
Because of this, Haas must ensure they optimise their upgrade package. Since this year’s American GP is a Sprint weekend, there is very little margin for error.
