Jonas Leo
Following the Japanese Grand Prix, the Haas F1 Team occupied a commendable fourth position in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, holding a two-point advantage over the BWT Alpine F1 Team. However, a challenging performance at its ‘home’ race in Miami saw Haas cede significant ground, now trailing the Anglo-French outfit by five points. This shift was largely orchestrated by Pierre Gasly’s point-scoring sprint race finish and Franco Colapinto’s strong drive to seventh place in the Miami Grand Prix, underscoring a pivotal moment in the competitive upper-midfield battle.
The divergence in fortunes between the two teams can be primarily attributed to the efficacy and scope of their respective development packages introduced for the Miami event. Alpine arrived in Florida with a comprehensive suite of aerodynamic updates, representing a substantial overhaul of its A526 chassis. In stark contrast, Haas’s modifications were notably modest, registering only a minor adjustment to a diffuser winglet. This disparity in development pace immediately manifested on track, placing Haas firmly within the competitive orbit of the improved Williams FW48, which itself had benefited from considerable attention to its development.
Oliver Bearman, driving for Haas in Miami, reflected on the race, theorising that a successful undercut on Alex Albon could have secured him a top-ten finish. Despite running in close proximity to Albon after the pit stops, the Briton lacked the requisite pace to execute a definitive overtaking manoeuvre, highlighting the performance deficit.
While Haas had demonstrated an ability to match Alpine’s pace in the initial three rounds of the season, the significant strides made by the A526 have instilled a degree of apprehension within the American squad. Although the relentless nature of Formula 1 development ensures that Haas will undoubtedly have opportunities to counter with its own upgrades in forthcoming races, aiming to consolidate its position ahead of competitors like Williams, Racing Bulls, and even future entrants such as Audi, Alpine’s recent advancements stem from effectively addressing a critical inherent weakness in its car’s design.
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Bearman articulated this concern post-Miami: "They had an issue in high-speed, and then it looks like they’ve sorted that, and they’ve brought a huge amount of upgrades for this event. We brought zero, so we were anticipating a tough weekend – that turned out to be the case."
This historical weakness in high-speed performance largely explained Alpine’s fluctuating form earlier in the season. The car had fallen slightly out of contention in Melbourne and saw Colapinto struggle for optimal performance in Suzuka. Conversely, under low-to-medium speed conditions, the A526 exhibited a much more compliant and well-behaved chassis, allowing both drivers to extract maximum performance. This characteristic was particularly evident in their robust showing in China, a circuit notably devoid of true high-speed corners, where even its longer-radius bends tend to tighten towards the exit.
The fundamental challenge for Alpine had been in achieving sufficient front-end grip through high-speed sections. Pierre Gasly, leveraging his extensive experience and adaptable driving style, had managed to mitigate this issue to some extent through astute set-up choices and by tailoring his approach to the car’s characteristics. For his teammate, Franco Colapinto, the situation proved more arduous. Lacking Gasly’s seasoned experience and inherent confidence, Colapinto had found it significantly more challenging to identify and implement effective workarounds, thereby exacerbating the performance gap between the two Alpine drivers.
The Miami Grand Prix, however, marked a discernible turning point. The chronic front-end instability appeared to have been largely rectified. Both Alpine cars demonstrated improved performance, notably making it into Q3, with Colapinto impressively outpacing Gasly across all three qualifying sessions. This initial strong showing by Alpine, particularly their Q1 run plan, inadvertently led Haas into a false sense of security. Bearman initially held a three-tenth advantage over Colapinto in the opening phase, and Esteban Ocon was a tenth clear of Gasly. However, it later emerged that the Alpine team had strategically conserved a set of tyres in Q1, allowing them to unleash their true performance potential in the subsequent sessions.
Haas’s competitive reality came into sharp focus during Q2. "I think the true pace came out," Bearman commented on qualifying. "It was good at the start of Q1, but actually we were on quite a different run plan with others. I felt like we’d actually caught up a bit of a gap to Alpine, for example. But they only did one set of tyres and they showed their true pace in Q2 – and we were not in the battle with them."
The quantifiable gap in Q2 underscored Alpine’s improved form, with Bearman trailing Gasly by a significant half-second. While the current Haas VF-26 possesses demonstrable weaknesses in outright single-lap pace, it has historically compensated for this with stronger race-day performance. However, in Miami, this traditional strength did not materialise, with Bearman finishing the Grand Prix a substantial 36 seconds behind Colapinto. Compounding the car’s inherent limitations, there was also a pervasive feeling within the team that operational execution, particularly during pit stops, had hampered both Bearman’s and Ocon’s races. Bearman specifically cited lost time in the pitlane as a critical factor that cost him the opportunity to undercut Alex Albon.
Looking ahead, Haas retains a degree of optimism regarding its ability to reclaim some parity with Alpine. The team is reportedly preparing a more comprehensive package of updates for the upcoming Montreal Grand Prix. Unlike its Anglo-French rival, the VF-26 does not appear to suffer from a single, glaring "smoking-gun" weakness, beyond a general deficiency in overall downforce. The team’s assessment indicates they are currently missing approximately three or four tenths of a second to consistently secure a comfortable passage into Q3.
Environmental factors also played a role in Miami. Haas reportedly struggled in the high temperatures prevalent during the Friday and Saturday sessions, although the cooler, overcast conditions on Sunday provided some mitigation. The anticipated cooler climate in Montreal could potentially offer Haas a more favourable operating window, allowing them to apply renewed pressure on Alpine.
Despite Haas’s forthcoming development efforts, Alpine appears to be gaining significant momentum as the season progresses. The strategic decision by the team to shift focus away from its dismal 2025 prospects early in the current season, effectively dedicating resources to the ongoing 2024 campaign, increasingly looks like a sagacious move. This focused approach allows them to maximise the potential of the current car. Haas would be justified in its apprehension regarding Alpine’s potential to establish a commanding lead over the rest of the midfield pack. The challenge for Haas now lies in channelling this concern into a focused and accelerated development pathway, ensuring they can effectively respond to Alpine’s resurgence and maintain their competitive standing in Formula 1’s fiercely contested upper-midfield segment. The next few races, starting with Montreal, will be crucial in determining the trajectory of this evolving battle.
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Author Profile
- Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.
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