Komatsu: We didn't completely get rid of the rocking car.

      Ayo Komatsu, head of Haas F1, is pleased that his team was able to bounce back after an unsuccessful weekend in Australia and reached the fifth stage of the season, taking 5th place in the Constructors' Cup.

      During the Melbourne race weekend, it turned out that the Haas car was prone to vertical rocking in high-speed turns, which was due to the design features of the VF-25 bottom. In China, the track surface is smoother, where this unpleasant phenomenon interfered with the riders less, and in Shanghai Esteban Ocon and Oliver Berman were able to earn points.

      But already at the Japanese Grand Prix, the American team presented an upgraded version of the underbody, explaining that the changes made to its design make it possible to increase the stability of the car during high-speed turns when the chassis is adjusted to a minimum ground clearance.

      In Suzuka, only Berman reached the top ten, but in Bahrain, the Haas cars again proved to be quite competitive: Oliver took 10th place, his partner 8th.

      "I still can't believe it! This is Formula 1, a lot can change here in a short period of time, and we all know that," Komatsu said in an interview with the American radio station SirusXM. – In Melbourne, on each of the days of the weekend, the engineers of the racing team discussed the situation with our specialists working at bases in Italy and the UK.

      Everyone worked together, trying to find a solution and develop a strategy that should help determine the action plan for the next few races. After that, you saw the results of this work in Shanghai, Suzuka and Bahrain.

      Of course, we are far from being in perfect shape, but what makes me happy about our team is that we are moving forward together. We are united by the belief in success, and we support each other. No one is pointing fingers at anyone, no one is hiding, and we are not looking for the guilty. We realized that we had a serious problem that needed to be solved quickly, and we had to find the best way to do it.

      In addition, both drivers, Esteban Ocon and Olli Berman, are always given a central role in this work. That's exactly what the team needed, that's exactly what I wanted to achieve, that's exactly how we operate now. So I have nothing to complain about, and I can honestly say that I am very proud of everyone in our team."

      At the same time, Komatsu admitted that the problem of pitching has not yet been completely resolved, and it may reappear on some tracks, especially if the team cannot find the optimal settings: "Of course, we will do our best in Jeddah, but I think we need to look for approaches to each specific race.…

      We had a problem with the pitching even in Bahrain, but it wasn't as obvious as it was in Melbourne. This was partly due to the track configuration, and partly we managed to improve the car, but we didn't completely get rid of the problem.

      So I have to stay realistic. At each race, we must be prepared for any eventuality and try to find the best approach to the settings, make the best work program and try to achieve maximum results on the track."