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The challenges facing Haas ahead of F1 2026

Story byMotorsport photoEd HardyMon, January 19, 2026 at 8:26 AM UTC·5 min readCar launch season for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign is firmly under way after Red Bull and its sister outfit Racing Bulls revealed their liveries in Detroit on Thursday night. Red Bull unveiled a refresh design incorporating new partner Ford’s blue, while Racing Bulls stuck to a predominantly white livery featuring black and blue accents. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRead Also: Red Bull reveals refreshed 2026 F1 livery at Detroit launch Racing Bulls F1 team sticks to white for 2026 livery And now up next is Haas, who will launch its 2026 F1 car on Monday in an online event rather than something extravagant like the Red Bull-owned teams or others on the grid. So here is a look at the American outfit ahead of the forthcoming season. What’s new at Haas?There is a new title sponsor at Haas, which has strengthened its ties with Toyota having signed a technical partnership in 2024 – a deal that’s provided many benefits to the American squad, particularly with the simulator. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDeveloping a new driver in-loop simulator was one of the priorities soon after the partnership was signed, because this was something Haas severely lacked, having previously relied on Ferrari’s in Maranello thanks to its power unit deal. Obviously this was not the ideal scenario considering the Haas factory is in Oxfordshire, so Toyota has been helping the team, which only joined the grid in 2016, build its first dedicated F1 simulator at Banbury. It also meant Haas received a new reserve in Ryo Hirakawa, a Toyota Hypercar driver who has twice won the World Endurance Championship title with the Japanese marque. Such a role meant he contested four FP1 sessions in 2025 with Haas, which also received an alternative way of buying car parts with the Toyota deal. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEsteban Ocon, Haas F1 TeamEsteban Ocon, Haas F1 TeamInstead of owner Gene Haas having to pay Dallara or Ferrari for specific parts, if the component has come from Toyota then it just comes out of the sponsorship money. In return, the partnership has meant Toyota can send its engineers to learn F1 processes and design ideas, while not having to buy its way onto the grid – as, say, Cadillac. So the deal has been really mutually beneficial, but 2026 will see it go to the next level with the squad now officially becoming the TGR (Toyota Gazoo Racing) Haas F1 Team.

The challenges facing Haas ahead of F1 2026

Credit: Yahoo

Key Highlights

  • It is a landmark deal for Haas, who will have Toyota take over the branding of its 'Testing of a Previous Car' programme and the Japanese manufacturer is expanding on its commitment to give its engineers, mechanics and drivers valuable F1 experience. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt means MoneyGram is no longer the title partner after a deal that started in 2023. What’s the biggest challenge to Haas?Although the Toyota partnership has helped Haas in a lot of ways, it still has the challenge of trying to beat competitors such as Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari who boast much stronger facilities and bigger workforces. It therefore makes it almost impossible for Haas to become a race-winning outfit, because it simply does not have the prestige or tools at its disposal and this is something that may only develop over a long period of time. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe pitwall, for example, was previously evident of the disadvantage Haas held, considering it only had three people sat up on the gantry – as opposed to six or more – in a pure cost-saving exercise.
  • For 2025, it moved up to a six-person pit gantry, but it is still having to be much more efficient with its funding than other teams. What’s the strongest asset to Haas?Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 TeamAyao Komatsu, Haas F1 TeamThe strongest asset to Haas is no doubt team principal Ayao Komatsu, who has been in the role since the start of 2024 after replacing the straight-talking Gunther Steiner.
  • Steiner had been involved at the American ou.
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Sources

  1. The challenges facing Haas ahead of F1 2026

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

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