Haas boss Ayao Komatsu has described the team’s turbulent start to the 2025 Formula 1 season in Australia as a “bomb” that left him feeling “sick”.
The Australian Grand Prix exposed significant issues with the VF-25, with Haas qualifying nearly six-tenths off the pace in last place.
However, Komatsu praised his team’s relentless response, highlighting the rapid problem-solving and upgrades that have steadily improved performance on high-speed circuits since.
Haas had played its cards close to its chest in pre-season testing, sticking to high-fuel runs and avoiding qualifying simulations – a strategy that paid off in 2024.
But in Melbourne, the VF-25’s main weakness was exposed: heavy bottoming through the high-speed Turns 9 and 10, which robbed the car of downforce and forced slower cornering speeds.
The team reacted swiftly, introducing a revised floor for Suzuka and another upgrade at Imola to claw back lost performance.
Komatsu opened up on the journey the team has been on since the devastating start to the 2025 campaign.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a season,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “Pre-season testing was pretty smooth.
“Then we had that bomb in Melbourne. That was seriously a shock. And then I just never forget that feeling.
“Honestly, literally, I felt sick. Because you’re not just last – you are last by like six tenths.
“Then you got [a] pretty big fundamental issue, right? But then I’m so proud of everyone in the team, how we reacted from the situation.
“Honestly, we didn’t sleep much in Melbourne. Then, understanding where the issues are, what can we do, because we cannot wait until, like, [the] next planned upgrade, because it’s a serious issue.
“And we cannot be completely at the mercy of the tracks we go to. We had Suzuka coming, which is a high-speed track, so we had to react.
“And I’m so proud [of] how we reacted for Suzuka, and then made a step forward.
“Then the fact that we did an upgrade in Imola, which was definitely affected by what we had in Melbourne, was still a step forward.”
Haas builds momentum after resolving early setbacks
Following those updates, Haas turned its focus to more routine developments, confident the American outfit had resolved the core issues from Melbourne.
Komatsu highlighted how the team’s ongoing progress, particularly with the Silverstone upgrade, has given the team a car capable of consistently competing in the top 10.
“But then what we had in Silverstone, after Imola, we knew we [were] on top of that Melbourne issue, so then we could do a normal upgrade for Silverstone, which was pretty good, I would say,” he added.
“I think especially considering who we are, I think we proved again, like last year, I think our development was excellent. And then with the VF-25, now with the Silverstone upgrade, we’ve got a car we can fight in the top 10 with if we execute every single time.
“We have 35 points, it’s P9, but it’s eight points to a P6. It’s all very tight. So again, I think every weekend, we’ve got to take it one step at a time, just do the best job possible.
“I think I said this bit many, many races ago: if that had happened 12 months earlier, I think that would have been catastrophic.
“But at least throughout the last year, we built a foundation of trust, supporting each other, working together, so we could deal with that situation. I couldn’t be happier with the reaction I got.”
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