Haas impresses in Bahrain testing: Esteban Ocon speaks of “extremely productive days” and believes in a strong start to the season
There is palpable optimism at the Haas Formula 1 team after the test days in Bahrain. While other teams are still struggling with teething problems, the US team’s program ran remarkably smoothly.
When asked how satisfied he is with the progress so far and where the team stands with regard to Australia, Esteban Ocon replies confidently: “I think it was a very good test for us.”
He was particularly impressed with the progress made since the first rollout: “Since Barcelona, we’ve improved things every time we’ve put the car on the track on a new day. We’ve found more performance.”
“Extremely productive days” in Bahrain
The most recent days of the second Bahrain test in particular had brought a noticeable step forward. “I think these last two days have been extremely productive. We’ve gained a much better understanding of the car and gained performance practically for free.”
It is precisely this “free performance” that suggests that Haas is not just trying out parts, but has built up a real understanding – a crucial factor in a season with new technical conditions. Ocon seems correspondingly aggressive: “I’m looking forward to finally racing.”
On the fifth day of testing, Ocon set the ninth-fastest time. He was 1.398 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli’s fastest time in the Mercedes. As always, test times should be taken with a grain of salt – different programs, fuel loads, and engine modes distort the picture.
But already in the first week of testing in Bahrain, Haas took eighth and ninth place in the combined rankings with Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon. This meant that no midfield team was faster. But more important than the pure ranking for Haas is stability: few problems, lots of driving time, steady progress.