Haas 2026 Preview: Confident contenders for the ‘best of the rest’ title

As we count down to Formula One's 2026 season opener, our F1 writers preview each team's potential, expectations and goals ahead of the start of a new regulatory era for the sport. With a new title partnership and a proven driver pairing, can Haas stand out as the leader of the mid-field this year?

Haas emerged as one of the most confident teams from pre-season testing | Credit: Formula One

While teams like Williams or McLaren have seen exponential leaps up the pecking order in recent seasons, Haas has been on a more quiet yet steady uphill climb over the past few years. 

Though the 2025 season saw the American outfit finish eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, a spot below their 2024 result, the points show a different picture. Collecting 79 points after a closely-fought mid-field battle, Haas secured their second-best points total in their time on the Formula One grid.

41 of these points were secured by 2025 rookie Oliver Bearman, while Esteban Ocon in his first season with Haas scored the remaining 38. Under the leadership of Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, Haas clearly made a step forward last year while also managing an all-new driver pairing, and are no doubt eager to continue their upward trajectory during this new era for the sport.

The driver lineup: Proven competence

For both Ocon and Bearman, 2025 was their first full season in the Haas colours. Ocon enters his 10th season in F1, while Bearman steps into his sophomore year after a standout rookie season where he scored the team’s highest finish of 2025 with a well-deserved fourth place in Mexico.

The choice to retain a driver lineup that blends experience and youth is sure to pay dividends for Haas, and has been the favoured approach by many other teams on the grid as well. Heading into a complete reset of the regulations, Haas will find Ocon’s fine-tuned understanding of the sport paired with Bearman’s versatile adaptability invaluable in not just on-track performance, but also critical feedback to help develop the car as the season progresses.

Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon enter their second year as teammates | Credit: Formula One

The Frenchman’s personal goals this season will be to prove himself as a worthy team leader, given that Bearman impressively went toe to toe with his veteran teammate and came out on top in several head-to-head stats. 

Meanwhile, Bearman will be eager to build on his rookie season success and will be gunning for a maiden podium or possibly even a win if the stars align. The Ferrari-backed driver has shown incredible one-lap pace, with his racecraft also sharpening through the final stretch of the 2025 season where he managed five consecutive points finishes between Singapore and Las Vegas.

Both drivers have proven their respective strengths on-track, and have also been unafraid to challenge each other to push the team forward. With Komatsu guiding the two talents, Haas can be confident of a consistent and competent driver pairing for the 2026 season.

What we learned from testing

Haas enjoyed a relatively trouble-free testing period in Barcelona and Bahrain, and managed to show both pace and reliability powered by the Ferrari engine. The American team pumped in the second-highest mileage and number of laps of any team across the two weeks of testing in Bahrain, with 794 laps completed by Ocon and Bearman.

Their smooth pre-season testing bodes well ahead of the season, and comfortably indicates that Haas can be strong contenders at the head of the mid-field, while rivals like Aston Martin and Williams have slipped back.

While testing indicated that the Mercedes-powered Alpine seems to have a slight edge in terms of performance, Haas certainly isn’t far off the mark and can be expected to consistently challenge within the points with the well-balanced VF-26 in the capable hands of Ocon and Bearman.

Haas completed the second-highest number of laps in Bahrain, only behind McLaren | Credit: Formula One

Bearman also logged the sixth fastest lap on the final day of testing with a 1:33.487, while the race simulations run by both drivers were clean as well. All in all, Haas seems to have the most solid package in the mid-field. Their sound understanding of their machinery evidenced by the mileage racked up during testing provides a concrete foundation for the team to work upon throughout the season. 

Acknowledging their strong showing in reliability, Bearman stated: “We’re having a clean test so far in terms of reliability, which is really the key at this stage of the year.” 

Haas will face the stiffest competition from Alpine, while Racing Bulls is also likely to emerge as a mid-field threat. After a largely positive showing in Bahrain, Haas will definitely be approaching the season start with cautious optimism. 

Team expectations for 2026

For Haas, the primary goal will be to reclaim the ‘best of the rest’ title, which they last secured in 2018 with their highest finish thus far in the Constructors’ Championship in fifth.

This regulatory reset, coupled with a new title partner in Toyota Gazoo Racing, signals a new dawn for Haas. While they may not be the only American outfit on the grid any longer with Cadillac’s entry, the team will no doubt strive to bring home ample on-track glory this year.

Komatsu, in his third year steering the ship at Haas, gave a confident assessment of Haas’ testing performance heading into the 2026 season: “We had a good run programme, really gaining understanding every day. So I think [we’re] reasonably happy with the progress we’ve been making.”

Ayao Komatsu enters his third year as Team Principal of Haas | Credit: Formula One

Ocon echoed the team boss’ sentiments, stating: “I think it’s been a very good test for us. Since Barcelona, every time we’ve put the car down on a new day, we’ve improved some stuff, we found more performance.”

Looking ahead to the season opener in Melbourne, Bearman added: “The past two days have been by far the most productive, the ones where we’ve learned the most about the car, which is good because it’s more or less the one we’re going to bring into Melbourne.”

Haas has been slowly chipping away at their overall performance, and they certainly carry the most confidence of the mid-field into this new era of F1. Whether their testing progress translates to season-long consistency remains to be seen, as the team gears up to be the benchmark of the mid-field.