Haas F1 Team’s Disappointing Performance in 2025 Australian Grand Prix

After a challenging 2025 Australian Grand Prix where both Haas cars struggled to keep pace, French driver Esteban Ocon has expressed his surprise at the team’s underperformance. “It was worth trying as we didn’t lose any time; instead, we optimized what we had,” he said, referring to his late change to slicks after a spell of rain racing on intermediates. “If we had a little more, we could have been in contention for points. The cars were fighting just ahead, and I was there. There were two or three positions for me to get inside the top 10, but unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up,” he added.

Haas F1 Team’s Difficult Start to the 2025 Campaign

The 2025 campaign has been a rocky start for the American outfit, with Ocon qualifying 19th and his teammate, Ollie Bearman, lining up at the back of the grid. Bearman’s weekend was particularly tough as he embarked on his first full-time season in the sport. He crashed during FP1, necessitating repairs throughout FP2, and gearbox issues in FP3 further hampered what remained of his practice.

During the race, both drivers showed poor pace, a stark contrast to last year’s performance when the team made significant progress, finishing seventh in the constructors’ standings. For Ocon, who joined Haas following his exit from Alpine, this level of performance was not what he had anticipated.

Team Principal Ayao Komatsu’s Challenge Ahead

Team principal Ayao Komatsu now faces the challenge of identifying the team’s deficit. With an all-new driver lineup on top of this, the learning curve is going to be steep. Only earlier this year did Komatsu express interest in flexi-wings, but this will likely be put on hold after the change in regulations. The American outfit will need to regroup and strategize for a better showing in the next round.