Formula 1 returns to action this week with the Canadian Grand Prix, and the race marks a milestone moment for Haas: The 200th race since they joined the sport back in 2016.
In the team’s media advance ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Team Principal Ayao Komatsu paid tribute to a “milestone” that the entire team should be “proud of.”
“Montreal is our 200th race, but it doesn’t feel that long ago that we were celebrating our 100th, but ten seasons is a long time. It’s hard to put into words but it’s a milestone that we should all be so proud of, and we’re still
very much on the journey to improve the team, hence it feels like another race,” said Komatsu. “When you think about it though, from nothing to 200 races is significant because not many new teams survive more than two seasons, and they disappear without scoring a single point. The fact we’re fighting in the midfield and aren’t satisfied when we’re not scoring points at every race, that’s a good thing.”
The Haas boss then addressed the team’s shared goals, starting with fighting to the front of the midfield, which could start with “points” in Montreal.
“Our aim is high, we want to be at the front of the midfield, and there’s so much going on at this team right now,” added Komatsu. “For our 200th race, I really hope we can celebrate with points, and we’ll do our best. There’s no better place than to celebrate it in Montreal, it’s such a cool city with an amazing circuit, and the vibe is amazing.”
The team is also celebrating the milestone with a bespoke livery for the Canadian Grand Prix, a grey design that the team used for their debut race back in 2016:
Haas brought an upgrade package to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in the middle of May, a race that kicked off the recent triple-header. While Haas did not bring home any points from Imola, Esteban Ocon’s seventh-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix the following week added six critical points to the team’s tally. As the grid heads to Montreal Haas sits seventh in the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings with 26 points, just two points behind sixth-place Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
While Komatsu believes the upgrade package is working, he conceded the rest of the grid is not staying still.
“I think the upgrade we brought to Imola has worked because it did improve our high-speed performance, and the car is definitely better. The thing is right now, everybody is moving, so it’s difficult to completely judge as you can’t go solely by competitiveness, but with everything we measure ourselves, it is working,” said Komatsu. “In Montreal, will we see the full extent of it? Probably not as it hasn’t got high-speed corners, it’s all about straight-line speed, low-speed traction and chicanes.”
Still, Komatsu believes points are on the table in Montreal.
Saying that, I think we could’ve scored points in every race bar Melbourne and Jeddah, and I don’t see Montreal as anything different.”
