Why introducing a floor upgrade is a 'risk' for Haas

To Haas, this Japanese Grand Prix is ​​of capital importance. Beyond wanting to continue the momentum of the 14 points scored in China, the American team faces a strange situation: that of the introduction of an evolution of its floor which could have a big impact on the rest of the season and especially on the direction of the development of the VF-25.

In Suzuka this weekend, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman will thus try an updated floor. Updated only because the deadline to make a new one in its entirety was too short and the team was in a hurry. Indeed, the VF-25, while it surprised more than one in Shanghai, found itself in great difficulty in Melbourne at the start of the season, displaying major shortcomings in the fast corners.

"We had no other choice"

This is what has prompted team principal Ayao Komatsu to mobilize his troops in the hope of quickly resolving the problem. Or at least reducing its impact on the car in the run-up to the Japanese Grand Prix and the Suzuka circuit, renowned for its... fast corners. Haas's production lines have been running at full speed in recent days to offer Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman this "evolution," the introduction of which is being heralded as crucial. Either it's going in the right direction, or it's going in the wrong direction, but there will most certainly be no in-between.

« It's a risk, assures the Japanese director of the team. It's a matter of judgment. But for me, we had no other choice. The scale of the problem in Melbourne was enormous. We were by far the slowest car. So we had to do it. »

To “justify” the introduction of an evolution of the current floor of the VF-25 and not a brand new one, Ayao Komatsu explained that they “ relied on the understanding of our aerodynamic engineers and designers to make certain modifications.

So some things are different geometrically and aerodynamically. We simply incorporated everyone's latest knowledge, without any proof, because we had to design it, demonstrate it, manufacture it... Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to do it here.

So we had to do it. But then we put it in the wind tunnel to see if this idea was correct or not. And it is. It's definitely the right direction. But I don't know what difference it's going to make. »

The small differences » which Haas will quickly see the contribution to the VF-25 at Suzuka. Ayao Komatsu, who believes that this could lead to something " catastrophic " as quite the opposite, now has his eyes fixed on the first free practice this Friday which will be according to him " the key. As soon as we have done a lap, or even gone through the first sector, we will know »

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