Haas F1 Team encountered two reliability problems during Wednesday's session at the Barcelona shakedown test for the 2026 season. Driver Oliver Bearman managed limited laps due to a morning power-unit issue and a more serious afternoon problem. Team principal Ayao Komatsu views the setbacks as early learning opportunities.
The Haas F1 Team returned to the Circuit de Catalunya on Wednesday for the second day of its participation in Formula 1's secretive 2026 shakedown event. With teams allowed to run on any three of the five days, Haas focused on building on Monday's progress, where Esteban Ocon completed 154 laps—more than twice a race distance.
Oliver Bearman took over driving duties in the VF-26, marking his first dry-weather run at the track after a 200km shakedown at Fiorano the previous weekend. However, his morning session was curtailed by a power-unit related issue, limiting him to just 21 laps. Bearman explained the challenge: "The problem we had, which would have taken maybe 30 minutes with last year's car, since everybody knew it so well, took a lot longer. It's just because there are a few more intricate details, and there's just so much more to the power unit compared to what we've been used to."
The team rectified the morning issue during the lunch break, allowing Bearman to resume in the afternoon. Yet, another reliability problem emerged, described by team principal Ayao Komatsu as "more serious." Komatsu stated, "I’m not worried about the one we had this morning, the one in the afternoon was a bit more serious and it’s obviously something we’re looking into and analysing exactly what happened – and of course, how to solve it. We’ll aim to get on top of it as quickly as possible, but at least it's happened relatively early in our overall pre-season programme."
Despite the interruptions, positives emerged. Komatsu noted a "huge step forward" in operational performance compared to day one, after resolving many prior issues. Bearman praised the car's feel: "The car definitely felt powerful with the full battery power... You can definitely feel the car is a bit more agile and more nimble with the extra weight loss from the previous regulations."
Bearman highlighted the team's achievements, including completing nearly three race distances across sessions with no major prior issues. He added, "Everybody's learning the car and the new bits and procedures... It's my first time being in this situation, with a regulation change, where, as drivers, we can have so much impact on the end result."
Haas must now decide whether to run on Thursday or Friday, with the decision still to be confirmed. The 2026 regulations, including the removal of the MGU-H and a 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power, have introduced complexities that prolonged troubleshooting.
