Haas is preparing a late-season upgrade package for the United States Grand Prix, despite a substantial regulation change looming in Formula 1 for 2026.
The season got off to a rocky start for the American outfit, with both drivers eliminated in Q1 in Australia as the VF-25’s high-speed limitation became apparent.
The team responded quickly, though, introducing a revised floor at the Japanese Grand Prix and following up with further updates at Imola and Silverstone.
Those revisions have helped Haas establish itself in a tightly contested midfield battle, with just 17 points separating sixth through ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Despite a major regulation overhaul coming in 2026, Haas appears to be the only team actively planning a late-season upgrade package.
The rumours had circulated, and Williams’ boss James Vowles had hinted at such moves, and it was confirmed by Haas’s Deputy Chief Designer, Jonathan Heal.
Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, he revealed that Haas is contemplating a potential upgrade for the race in Texas, among the team’s three home races.
“So, at the moment we are still working to try to bring an upgrade,” Heal told media including Motorsport Week.
“If we manage to make something which is good enough to justify the spend, we will do one more upgrade this season. We are still finalising that at the moment.”
As for the reasons behind Haas’ thinking, Heal went on to explain: “Sometimes it’s better to fight the championship which you are in.
“Next year will be a lottery for lots of reasons, engines and things like that. So, for us it’s important to do well.”
Midfield margins and budget constraints shape Haas’ strategy
When asked about the decision-making behind introducing additional upgrades, Heal highlighted just how tight the midfield battle has become this season.
“One tenth of a second can be five places on the grid,” he added. “So, this year, it is much stricter where you don’t say I want two-tenths or three-tenths of a second from a package.
“Even one tenth of a second can make a difference between where we are fighting.”
However, with the budget cap in play, every upgrade has to justify itself not just in lap times, but in terms of cost and development effort.
“Under [the] budget cap, cost is also a big driver,” he admitted. “I think all of the work that we do now has to have a cost factor in there.
“There are lots of pieces that we have designed that never arrive on track just because the advantage, which they have in the wind tunnel, never gets brought forward; it is never enough to justify the spend.”
On the matter of the upgrade, Heal explained why the team has targeted the Circuit of the Americas for the next potential package.
“Traditionally, we have tried to bring a package for that,” he said. “It is the last part of the season, so breaking it up into races is where it fits in our development cycles.
“We brought one in Race 12, so Race 19 is another seven races. That’s our development for big packages of floors.”
READ MORE – When Esteban Ocon feared Haas’ 2025 F1 season was going to be a ‘lost cause’
Discussion about this post