Haas is no longer just punching above its weight in F1 – the US outfit is starting to look like it genuinely belongs near the front of the field.
After another eye-catching weekend in Shanghai, team boss Ayao Komatsu could barely contain his satisfaction, hailing both the squad’s execution and a standout performance from rising star Oliver Bearman.
From a solid season opener in Australia to an even sharper showing in China, Haas has emerged as one of the early stories of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign.
Bearman leads the charge
Bearman’s weekend built steadily – a Q3 appearance on Saturday, followed by a composed and opportunistic drive on Sunday. Starting 10th, he surged to fifth at the flag, capitalizing on a few of the front-runners’ troubles – especially McLaren – while showing genuine pace of his own.
Komatsu was quick to underline that this was no fluke.
“It's incredible. I always said we have to focus on the basics and we have to maximise everything. In the early part of the season, reliability would be an issue, so we just have to be there,” he said in Shanghai.
That philosophy paid off handsomely. Haas didn’t just inherit positions – it earned them.
“We cannot beat top four teams or top three teams now. Well, we beat Red Bull on merit today, so we were the fourth fastest team today, which is incredible.
“The unfortunate thing for McLaren was that they couldn't take the race. We were there to take the benefit, so we just maximised everything. I’m just so happy.”
At one stage, even Max Verstappen found himself stuck behind Bearman, unable to close a gap of a couple of seconds – a telling snapshot of Haas’ pace and composure under pressure.
Proof is in the pace
For Komatsu, the performance confirmed what winter testing had hinted at – but perhaps exceeded even his own expectations.
“When I looked at FP1, Red Bull didn't look amazing. But based on the sprint, I wasn't sure if we had the pace to really fight Red Bull or not,” he explained.
“But the sprint is a sprint, right? It's quite short. But whatever it was, we had a decent pace [on Sunday] and our drivers managed it so well.”
That race pace proved decisive. While others faltered, Haas delivered a clean, efficient performance – the kind that turns opportunity into points. And there could have been even more.
“To be honest, this looks even better than Bahrain. Coming out of Bahrain test, I didn't think we could fight Red Bull at all, and also Alpine looked really quick,” Komatsu admitted.
“Again, Gasly proved that they are quick, but we’ve beaten them on merit. It's just brilliant how such a team works. Every single execution, we've done it very, very well, apart from the pitstop for Esteban.”
Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 Chinese Grand PrixEven with that minor setback, Haas left Shanghai with a growing sense of momentum – and a healthy points tally.
Two races in, Haas sits fourth in the Constructors’ standings – ahead of Red Bull Racing – a statistic few would have predicted before the season began.
More importantly, the team looks cohesive, confident, and quietly ambitious. It’s a competitor seizing its moment – and, as Komatsu’s smile suggests, enjoying every second of it.
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