Haas chief admits one aspect of Ferrari partnership is ‘not great’ for developing their 2026 F1 car

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Much of the focus for the 2026 Formula 1 season is on how the biggest teams in the paddock will fare, but for customer teams like Haas, a ruleset change provides a host of new opportunities.

Many Formula 1 fans wondered how Haas would fare during the 2025 campaign.

They had hired two new drivers in Esteban Ocon and rookie Oliver Bearman, and given that Haas have the fewest resources of any of the established teams on the grid, many people thought they might abandon the 2025 season altogether.

Instead, Haas continued developing their car for much longer than many of their rivals, and they finished P8 in the standings thanks to Ocon’s great start to the year and Bearman’s heroics during the final third of the season.

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The highlight of Bearman’s campaign was finishing fourth at the Mexico City Grand Prix, and while he narrowly missed out on Haas’ first-ever F1 podium, his run of six points finishes in the last seven races was extremely impressive.

Bearman is on Ferrari’s radar as a potential future driver, mainly because of his ties to the manufacturer, and team principal Ayao Komatsu has shared more details about their relationship.

Although Haas are developing stronger ties with Toyota, they’re still a Ferrari customer team, which, as Komatsu has described, has its ups and downs.

READ MORE: All to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota ties

Ayao Komatsu says not having constant access to Ferrari’s simulator is ‘pretty difficult’

Speaking to The Race about the Haas-Ferrari partnership, Komatsu explained: “It is very important, because we’ve got access to a Ferrari simulator in Maranello, but of course, it’s not great because most of the engineering team is in the UK, the days are limited, and it’s in Italy.

“So logistically, it’s been pretty difficult. Ideally, I wanted to have it at least half a year earlier, if you like, because [for the 2026] regulations, I think the simulator is going to be even more important.

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“We can’t have that access straight away. But it’s going to be really, really key, and then it’s a milestone for the team to be able to do that.”

Haas are building a simulator in partnership with Toyota in the UK, but it won’t be ready until May or June, rendering it useless for the development of their first car for this ruleset.

But it should allow Haas to be in a far more powerful position going into 2027 and beyond.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ayao Komatsu provides more details about Haas’ growing relationship with Toyota

Toyota were a Formula 1 manufacturer for eight seasons between 2002 and 2009, and despite investing huge sums, they never won a Grand Prix.

The Japanese automotive giants are now named sponsors of the Haas team, and speaking about their partnership, Komatsu said: “Toyota’s objective is not really branding. Toyota’s objective is to make us competitive, grow people, and make this team competitive together.

“We accelerate that, then having a title partnership means the next step, but in terms of what we’re doing, it’s not like the direction changes, or there is a step change, if you like.

“It’s going the same direction. But it’s really nice that now we’ve got this title partnership. It’s been a long-term collaboration from the beginning anyway, but externally it gives people confidence, or even internally as well.

“In terms of actually what we’re doing inside, other than the difference in, let’s say, the value of sponsorship, it doesn’t change a huge amount. Honestly, branding is not the purpose of this. It’s really trying to make the team more competitive.”

Both Haas drivers are out of contract at the end of the 2026 season, and it will be interesting to see if Toyota have any sway on who they could sign next.

Ferrari’s continued influence means that if Bearman is recalled, they could try and place either Dino Beganovic or Rafael Camara in his seat.

Ocon will know that his form at the end of 2025 wasn’t good enough, but his position could be filled by any number of drivers if he doesn’t improve.