Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Haas heads to next week’s United States Grand Prix trailing VCARB by just 3 points in the standings
The 2024 Formula 1 season is about to enter its final act.
Next week’s United States Grand Prix kicks off the final six race weekends of the 2024 season, and the competition is tight throughout the standings. On the Drivers’ Championship side, Max Verstappen holds a 52-point lead over Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc 86 points behind Verstappen.
Things are even more fascinating in the Constructors’ Championship, where McLaren currently leads Red Bull by 41 points, with Ferrari sitting in third, just 34 points behind Red Bull.
Those are not the only battles that will play out over the final six race weekends of the 2024 F1 season. The fight for sixth is another fascinating clash, with Visa Cash App RB F1 Team holding a slim three-point lead over Haas.
However, Haas has scored points in three straight races, and Team Principal Ayao Komatsu is looking forward to that midfield fight with VCARB down the stretch.
“We’ve now scored points in three consecutive races, and I think it’s pretty impressive if you look back at consistency,” said Komatsu in his monthly update for Haas fans. “Looking back to previous seasons, we haven’t scored a whole lot in the second half of the year. This season, out of 18 races, we’ve scored points in half of them. We had three bad events; Monaco, Hungary and Spa, and in Bahrain we finished P12. Everywhere else, we’ve finished P11, which is incredibly encouraging as it’s not been about luck, it’s been about improving consistently.”
Komatsu hailed Nico Hülkenberg’s ninth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix, as well as the veteran driver’s qualifying effort that weekend, which saw him start sixth.
Nico achieving P6 in qualifying was the culmination of everyone reacting so well from FP1, we then operationally delivered a near-perfect qualifying session,” said Komatsu. “Nico scoring two points was great. However, it is more than just about the result. It is how we achieved it and how well we worked as a team to get it.”
Komatsu also praised young Oliver Bearman, who stepped in at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Kevin Magnussen served a one-race penalty. Bearman, who will drive for Haas full-time next season, finished tenth in Baku.
“Ollie stayed calm and dealt with everything very well, especially when the yellow flag came out during a crucial period in the first qualifying session,” said Komatsu. “He was kicking himself for not getting into Q3 because he didn’t produce the perfect lap, but it was still a good result.
“In the race, he was a bit too conservative during his first stint. But, in his second stint, he was matching Nico and came away with a point, which was pretty impressive and shows his potential.”
All told, Haas now enters the season’s final act just three points behind VCARB. As the grid’s only American team, they have a pair of home races to look forward to, starting with the United States Grand Prix next week in Austin.
“The next race on the calendar is a special one for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, the United States Grand Prix. Being America’s F1 Team carries a lot of expectation and it always feels different racing at home,” Komatsu said. “The Circuit of The Americas feels like the US race for die-hard F1 fans, and with our Title Sponsor MoneyGram, also based in Texas, it’s going to be a busy week of activities and events – which, I enjoy more than I thought I would!
“As I’ve already discussed, we’ll be bringing another update in Austin, but more details to come during race week, along with a few other surprises. After all, it wouldn’t be a US race without a new look, would it?”
The Haas boss then noted that the team is just three points behind VCARB, and they are “focused” on that fight.
“You can never look behind, that’s my philosophy. If you keep looking behind you, you’re notgoing to go forward. The midfield fight is incredibly tight with extremely fine margins, but we’re always looking to improve,” said Komatsu. “I’m focused on the three points to RB we need to achieve P6 in the Constructors’ Championship.”
SB Nation will be on the ground for next week’s United States Grand Prix, so stay tuned for more from Circuit of the Americas.
