Haas look to Madrid for Monza rebound after tyre degradation undermined promising upgrade

The American team's latest upgrade showed promise over one lap at Monza, but tyre degradation undermined their race performance and left the team with work to do.

Madrid gives Haas an immediate opportunity to test that package on a completely different type of Formula 1 circuit. The 5.4km Madring combines public roads around IFEMA with faster purpose-built sections and several corners where driver confidence will be crucial.

The headline feature is Turn 12, La Monumental, a long, banked right-hander with 24 degrees of banking. With no previous race data available, Friday practice will be vital as teams assess grip levels, tyre behaviour and the balance required around the new venue.

Team Principal Ayao Komatsu made clear that Haas will use Madrid to continue evaluating the Monza upgrade. More importantly, the team needs to address the tyre degradation that prevented its qualifying promise from translating into stronger race pace.

Komatsu said: “Madrid is an exciting new challenge for everyone in Formula 1, and we’re looking forward to arriving back in Spain – our third visit this season.

The Haas F1 boss continued: “The Madring layout looks like it’ll combine very different demands, with tight street-style sections around IFEMA, faster purpose-built corners and the banked La Monumental likely to be a talking point.

“For us, the priority will be learning quickly from Friday’s practice sessions, understanding tire behavior and giving our drivers a car they can trust in corners. It’ll provide us with another opportunity to further learn more about the upgrades we brought in Italy last weekend on a totally different style of circuit.

“In Monza, we got the most out of the new package in qualifying, but we struggled with tire degradation in the race. This is something we will be focused on improving in Madrid. A new venue always creates opportunity, and we’ll be looking to execute cleanly and be ready to take advantage," added Komatsu.

Ollie Bearman was also encouraged by the Monza update despite Haas struggling on Sunday. The Briton heads to Madrid optimistic that the team can build on what it learned in Italy while attacking a circuit every driver must learn from scratch.

Bearman said: “I’m excited for this weekend, where a new track really is anyone’s to master. Although race pace hindered us on Sunday, we’re all very happy to see that the update we brought to Monza was working, so I’m going into this weekend with optimism.

“I love the liveliness of Spain, the fans take Formula 1 nearly as seriously as football, so I’m looking forward to feeling that energy. There are lots of interesting parts of the Madring, but for me, ‘La Monumental’ is the one turn I can’t wait to experience in real life – that’s a first for Formula 1.”

Esteban Ocon has already completed simulator work for Madring and expects the combination of street and permanent sections to provide a demanding challenge. His priority will be getting up to speed quickly as Haas looks to finish the European leg strongly.

Ocon said: “It's good to be back on track in Madrid straight after our weekend in Monza. The new circuit looks challenging and fun, combining a street circuit and a permanent set-up, similar to Miami, with a long banked turn to contend with.

“It’s going to be important to get up to speed as quickly as possible with this new layout, but I’ve been in the sim, and we’ve done our homework, so it’s a great opportunity to put our stamp on the Madring. We’re looking to close out the European season on a high.”

Madrid therefore represents more than just another new circuit for Haas. It is an immediate test of whether the Monza upgrade can deliver across different track characteristics, while giving the team another chance to solve the race-pace weakness exposed in Italy.