Haas left the Belgian Grand Prix without points, but its latest front wing produced the expected aerodynamic load. Oliver Bearman reported better balance and more confidence. The remaining weakness concerns how the VF-26 uses that load through a complete lap.
Bearman finished 14th at Spa, while Esteban Ocon came home 17th. Their races were damaged by contact between the two Haas cars on the opening lap. Both drivers returned to the pits with punctures.
The first lap removed the best chance
Bearman qualified 16th and Ocon took 18th. Grid penalties for other drivers moved both Haas cars forward before the start. That small gain offered a better chance to join the midfield battle.
The opportunity disappeared when the teammates touched on the first lap. Each driver needed an unscheduled stop for a damaged tyre. An early safety car reduced part of the loss. Neither Haas returned to a strong points position.
Both cars completed most of the remaining distance on two sets of hard tyres. Bearman recovered to 14th and finished ahead of Ocon. Haas therefore recorded a fourth consecutive Grand Prix without scoring.
The result did not provide a clean measure of race strategy. The punctures changed both planned stints immediately. Haas instead used the remaining laps to compare behaviour and collect information about the revised front wing.
Bearman felt a clearer front end
Bearman said the car felt more consistent after the upgrade. He could lean on the front axle and approach the limit with fewer mistakes. That confidence was a meaningful improvement from earlier difficult weekends.
His final stint also gave Haas a useful comparison with nearby rivals. Bearman felt closer to Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi than before. He also believed the gap to Williams had reduced since the race at Silverstone.
Those comparisons do not turn 14th place into a strong result. They show where the car gained time after the new part arrived. Bearman still described a clear need for more overall performance.
The central limitation is rear downforce. Spa also exposed deployment problems on the long straights. Haas had to manage both areas while racing cars with stronger speed at different parts of the circuit.
Delivered load is not always usable
Team principal Ayao Komatsu said recent upgrades produced the downforce expected from their design. The problem sits deeper than a missing number from the wind tunnel. Drivers cannot use all that load consistently at every circuit.
| Belgian GP finish | Bearman 14th, Ocon 17th |
|---|---|
| Main weakness | Rear downforce and inconsistent handling |
| New part | Front wing |
| Next event | Hungarian Grand Prix |
A car can generate aerodynamic force yet remain difficult through changing corner phases. Entry, rotation and traction must connect in a predictable way. If that connection changes, a driver leaves margin instead of attacking every corner.
Komatsu traced the handling characteristic back to the start of the season. Stronger early races at Melbourne and Shanghai suited the car and hid part of the weakness. Later circuits exposed it more clearly.
The team now understands the pattern better than it did during the opening rounds. That knowledge helps separate a successful new component from the older behaviour underneath it. Haas can keep the gain while studying the cause of the inconsistency.
Ocon reported a separate consistency concern
Ocon has struggled with uneven car performance across several weekends. He identified Japan and Silverstone as rare events when his car behaved normally. Spa continued the more difficult pattern.
The French driver and his engineers are checking whether inconsistent parts contribute to the problem. No single failed component has been announced. Haas is still working through the evidence from different circuits and sessions.
That distinction is important. Bearman’s improved confidence describes the general upgrade package. Ocon’s concern involves whether his individual car delivers repeatable behaviour. Both questions can exist during the same weekend.
The completed Spa race also showed how tightly the midfield is grouped. A compromised opening lap left little time for Haas to recover against cars with similar pace.
Budapest gives Haas another comparison
Bearman finished ahead of Ocon at Spa after the teammates made contact on the opening lap. Both cars needed early stops for damaged tyres and lost their planned race positions.
The disrupted race did not erase the technical gain. Komatsu said the revised front wing produced the predicted downforce. Bearman reported a steadier front response.
Rear downforce and inconsistent balance remain the larger weaknesses. Ocon has also reported uneven behaviour across several weekends, and Haas continues comparing the two cars.
Ryo Hirakawa will drive Bearman’s car in the first Hungaroring practice. Bearman returns for the second session, giving Haas another circuit for evaluating the revised package.
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