Once again, Haas driver Esteban Ocon struggled with the questionable performance of his VF-26 during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix
Esteban Ocon will start the Belgian Grand Prix in seventeenth place. Qualifying was already over for the Haas driver in Q1, while Oliver Bearman was at least able to fight his way into Q2. Consequently, the 29-year-old is anything but satisfied on Saturday and explains where the VF-26 is lacking in performance.
“[On Friday] we were two to two-tenths of a second off the pace on the straight,” said Ocon. “Today we were more like four-tenths or five-tenths of a second off.”
The Haas driver is specifically referring to his first run in Q1. Even drafting behind drivers like Liam Lawson offered little help. Ocon further explains: “We’re also lacking downforce on the rear axle.”
The Haas driver emphasizes that, once again, the lack of consistency in his car is a major problem. For months now, the one-time Grand Prix winner has been struggling with the sometimes strange and unpredictable characteristics of his car.
Accordingly, his conclusion is: “We’re lacking twice as much top speed on the straights as we did yesterday, and we’re lacking stability in the corners. So it’s really difficult, but the team was satisfied with my lap. I was also satisfied with the lap and didn’t make any major mistakes.”
According to Ocon, it’s not a matter of energy deployment either. However, the 29-year-old notes that his car’s top speed doesn’t match that of his teammate’s.
When asked whether the cars might not be identical, Ocon replied: “No, the cars are the same. Well, not literally—they use the same specification.”
“But,” Ocon said, “one car is four km/h faster on the straights than the other, you know? That’s where we are right now.”
Speaking to the French TV channel Canal+, Ocon summed it up as follows: “Only Ollie’s car is working the way it should. That’s just how it is.”
When it comes to aerodynamics, Ocon—as has been the case in previous race weekends—cannot match the balance of his teammate Bearman’s car. The exact source of the problems with his VF-26 remains a mystery.
For the Belgian Grand Prix, the front wing, end plates, and air deflectors on the front axle were specially revised. At least on the Ardennes roller coaster, the positive effect has eluded Ocon.