![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773756371_417_oliver-bearman-haas-f1-team.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhile the Chinese Grand Prix produced many unhappy faces in the paddock, there were plenty of smiles behind the Haas pitbox post-race.<\/p>\n
McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were already in the media pen during the Grand Prix to explain the double DNS, while Max Verstappen was also done early after a poor weekend for Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Read Also:<\/p>\n
The biggest positive surprise? Haas \u2013 perhaps alongside race winner Kimi Antonelli. The American outfit followed up Oliver Bearman\u2019s seventh place in Melbourne with an even bigger surprise in China: P5 at the Shanghai International Circuit.<\/p>\n
Reliable package and impressive race pace \u2013 beating Red Bull \u2018on merit\u2019<\/p>\n
According to team principal Ayao Komatsu, the positive start to the 2026 season first and foremost shows that having a reliable package can take you a long way at the start of a new regulation cycle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s incredible. I always said we have to focus on the basics and we have to maximise everything. In the early part of the season, reliability would be an issue, so we just have to be there,\u201d Komatsu said in an exclusive interview with Autosport post-race.<\/p>\n
Although reliability undeniably plays a key role, Haas deserves a lot more credit for its flying start than attributing it to reliability alone. The race pace was also impressive, combined with good tyre management on a circuit where graining of the left-front tyre is always the limiting factor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot beat top four teams or top three teams now. Well, we beat Red Bull on merit today, so we were the fourth fastest team today, which is incredible. The unfortunate thing for McLaren was that they couldn\u2019t take the race. We were there to take the benefit, so we just maximised everything. I\u2019m just so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team<\/p>\n
Photo by: James Sutton \/ Formula 1 \/ Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images<\/p>\n
When Komatsu says that Red Bull was beaten \u201con merit\u201d, that became particularly evident when Verstappen spent much of the race around 2.5 seconds behind Bearman. Red Bull simply did not have more pace than what the British talent could deliver in the VF-26.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, that says something about the struggles with the RB22 in Shanghai \u2013 where even major set-up changes made no difference at all, according to Verstappen \u2013 but it also says a lot about the strong package Haas currently has.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I looked at FP1, Red Bull didn\u2019t look amazing. But based on the sprint, I wasn\u2019t sure if we had the pace to really fight Red Bull or not. But the sprint is a sprint, right? It\u2019s quite short. But whatever it was, we had a decent pace [on Sunday] and our drivers managed it so well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Strong execution crucial to flying start in 2026<\/p>\n
According to Komatsu, the strong start to the season shows two things. First, that Haas has a solid package to work with, and second, that the team is operationally capable of extracting the maximum from it \u2013 and from a team perspective that latter point may be even more positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day, we are improving. After qualifying here we were reasonably happy, but we knew we could have done better. We still knew that we had a decent starting position [and said], let\u2019s maximise everything”<\/p>\n
Ayao Komatsu<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a decent car, and the operation is really good. Honestly, when we started in Melbourne on Friday, it wasn\u2019t good enough. But again, the reaction from that is something I\u2019m really, really proud of everyone in the team,\u201d Komatsu continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day, we are improving. After qualifying here we were reasonably happy, but we knew we could have done better. We still knew that we had a decent starting position [and said], let\u2019s maximise everything. We just have to be there and that\u2019s exactly what we did, same as in Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n
While other teams are still fighting reliability issues at the start of the new cycle, Haas has been able to take advantage of that with a solid package, strong reliability and good execution. \u201cEvery single execution, we\u2019ve done it very, very well, apart from the pitstop for Esteban.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Esteban](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773756372_136_esteban-ocon-haas-f1-team.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team<\/p>\n
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n
That was perhaps the only blemish on Sunday. Ocon immediately took the blame after the contact with Franco Colapinto and received a ten-second time penalty for it, but according to Komatsu, Haas should not have put him in that position to begin with.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t have put him in that place to start off, because we had a problem with the pitstop. We were really delayed. I can\u2019t remember how many seconds it took, but that put him behind Colapinto again. Then Esteban was trying to force it and that didn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without that setback for Ocon, Komatsu believes a double points finish would have been possible, something that ultimately went to Alpine thanks to Colapinto\u2019s tenth place.<\/p>\n
\u201cOtherwise, Esteban would have raced to top ten for sure. I think at that point, the prediction was like minimum P9 or P8. Double points would have been icing on the cake, but the good thing is Esteban was happy with the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t happy with the car in Melbourne on Sunday and his race pace wasn\u2019t good, but today he had a good race pace. Of course, the safety car didn\u2019t work for Esteban. It worked for Oliver, but it didn\u2019t work for Esteban. But that\u2019s part of the reason why we split the strategy, right? Just to manage the risks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confidence boost for \u201cby far\u201d the smallest team on the grid<\/p>\n
So far, Haas has managed all those aspects well. As a result, the still-smallest team on the grid finds itself fourth in the constructors\u2019 championship standings, ahead of powerhouse Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Komatsu knows that holding on to that position is almost impossible once the bigger teams sort out their reliability issues, but the strong start to this year still gives Haas hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives a huge amount of confidence. I think every day, we gain more confidence, and every day we understand a bit more about exploiting this regulation \u2013 just everything. We\u2019re learning every day, so yeah, a huge amount of confidence going forward.<\/p>\n
![\"Ayao](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ayao-komatsu-haas-f1-team.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team<\/p>\n
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still the smallest team, by far. And then to tackle these brand new regulations is a monumental task. To be fighting where we are fighting, I\u2019m so proud of everyone in the team. I\u2019m so happy that we can get this kind of result to basically say thanks to everyone in the team. It\u2019s just amazing that all the hard work gets rewarded.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next step for Haas is to remain competitive throughout the development race as well.<\/p>\n
The rate of development will be extremely high in the first season under these new regulations, and that is usually where the bigger teams can make the difference. In that regard, the cancellation of the Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is unfortunate for Haas, as they could have been two more opportunities early in the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still the smallest team, by far. And then to tackle these brand new regulations is a monumental task. To be fighting where we are fighting, I\u2019m so proud of everyone in the team”<\/p>\n
Ayao Komatsu<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had a choice, well, if there wasn\u2019t the war, I\u2019d rather keep going because our cars are competitive. We\u2019ve got good momentum, but it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next question is to what extent Haas can keep up in the development battle this season, but the race weekends in Australia and China already make the smallest team on the grid a major \u2013 and perhaps even the biggest \u2013 surprise at the start of this new F1 era.<\/p>\n
![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773756375_7_oliver-bearman-haas-f1-team.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team<\/p>\n
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n
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