The 2024 Method 1 season is about to enter its ultimate act.
Subsequent week’s United States Grand Prix kicks off the ultimate six race weekends of the 2024 season, and the competitors is tight all through the standings. On the Drivers’ Championship aspect, Max Verstappen holds a 52-point lead over Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc 86 factors behind Verstappen.
Issues are much more fascinating within the Constructors’ Championship, the place McLaren at the moment leads Pink Bull by 41 factors, with Ferrari sitting in third, simply 34 factors behind Pink Bull.
These usually are not the one battles that may play out over the ultimate six race weekends of the 2024 F1 season. The struggle for sixth is one other fascinating conflict, with Visa Money App RB F1 Crew holding a slim three-point lead over Haas.
Nevertheless, Haas has scored factors in three straight races, and Crew Principal Ayao Komatsu is trying ahead to that midfield struggle with VCARB down the stretch.
“We’ve now scored factors in three consecutive races, and I feel it’s fairly spectacular should you look again at consistency,” stated Komatsu in his month-to-month replace for Haas followers. “Wanting again to earlier seasons, we haven’t scored a complete lot within the second half of the yr. This season, out of 18 races, we’ve scored factors in half of them. We had three dangerous occasions; Monaco, Hungary and Spa, and in Bahrain we completed P12. In every single place else, we’ve completed P11, which is extremely encouraging because it’s not been about luck, it’s been about bettering persistently.”
Komatsu hailed Nico Hülkenberg’s ninth-place end on the Singapore Grand Prix, in addition to the veteran driver’s qualifying effort that weekend, which noticed him begin sixth.
Nico reaching P6 in qualifying was the fruits of everybody reacting so effectively from FP1, we then operationally delivered a near-perfect qualifying session,” stated Komatsu. “Nico scoring two factors was nice. Nevertheless, it’s extra than simply in regards to the consequence. It’s how we achieved it and the way effectively we labored as a workforce to get it.”
Komatsu additionally praised younger Oliver Bearman, who stepped in on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Kevin Magnussen served a one-race penalty. Bearman, who will drive for Haas full-time subsequent season, completed tenth in Baku.
“Ollie stayed calm and handled all the pieces very effectively, particularly when the yellow flag got here out throughout an important interval within the first qualifying session,” stated Komatsu. “He was kicking himself for not stepping into Q3 as a result of he didn’t produce the right lap, but it surely was nonetheless a very good consequence.
“Within the race, he was a bit too conservative throughout his first stint. However, in his second stint, he was matching Nico and got here away with some extent, which was fairly spectacular and exhibits his potential.”
All informed, Haas now enters the season’s ultimate act simply three factors behind VCARB. Because the grid’s solely American workforce, they’ve a pair of house races to sit up for, beginning with the USA Grand Prix subsequent week in Austin.
“The subsequent race on the calendar is a particular one for MoneyGram Haas F1 Crew, the USA Grand Prix. Being America’s F1 Crew carries a whole lot of expectation and it all the time feels totally different racing at house,” Komatsu stated. “The Circuit of The Americas feels just like the US race for die-hard F1 followers, and with our Title Sponsor MoneyGram, additionally based mostly in Texas, it’s going to be a busy week of actions and occasions – which, I take pleasure in greater than I assumed I’d!
“As I’ve already mentioned, we’ll be bringing one other replace in Austin, however extra particulars to come back throughout race week, together with a couple of different surprises. In any case, it wouldn’t be a US race with out a new look, would it not?”
The Haas boss then famous that the workforce is simply three factors behind VCARB, and they’re “centered” on that struggle.
“You possibly can by no means look behind, that’s my philosophy. In the event you hold trying behind you, you’re notgoing to go ahead. The midfield struggle is extremely tight with extraordinarily superb margins, however we’re all the time trying to enhance,” stated Komatsu. “I’m centered on the three factors to RB we have to obtain P6 within the Constructors’ Championship.”
SB Nation will probably be on the bottom for subsequent week’s United States Grand Prix, so keep tuned for extra from Circuit of the Americas.
