Haas face 'very very nerve-wracking' 2026 following F1 reveal

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has conceded he faces "a very, very nerve-wracking" time as the start to the 2026 season looms on the horizon, with F1 ushering in a new dawn with its latest regulations.

For all teams throughout 2025, the campaign was marked by an early switch to focusing on the 2026 rules due to the major overhaul, with the introduction of a new power unit powered by a 50-50 split of combustion and electrical and running on 100% sustainable fuels, with aerodynamics also changing significantly.

On the day Haas revealed its livery for the coming year, underpinned by its partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing, Komatsu feels his team is strongly equipped to cope with the demands ahead, although he concedes he is nervous.

"On track, we have this huge regulation change, both on the PU and aerodynamics side, the biggest in 22 or 23 years of me being in Formula 1," said Komatsu. "I don’t remember a change this big. It's hugely exciting, but at the same time it's very, very nerve-wracking.

"Away from the track, look at what we've achieved over the last couple of years - we've grown as a team. Not just in numbers, but in terms of mentality, mindset, and how we go racing.

"I feel like we’re progressing our journey very, very well. It's different to have something already established and, let's say, adjusting it to new regulations.

"We’re growing as a team in a pretty aggressive way, and at the same time, we’re tackling these brand new regulations. It's a huge challenge, but we’ve already shown from what happened in Melbourne last year how we recovered from that, and we haven’t stopped improving since."

'There will be surprises'

Komatsu claims that over his time at Haas, and especially for a team of its size, pre-season has been the toughest in its history.

That has not been helped by the short winter break from the conclusion of last season, and the fact that the cars will be on track next week in a private five-day test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

"The new regulations mean it's financially challenging, and regarding resources, everyone knows we’re still the smallest team," he said.

"It’s a huge challenge, and as team principal, the responsibility is bigger, ensuring that this team is equipped to tackle this massive regulation change.

"I don't think any team, even the biggest, is going to say they’re fully equipped to tackle this, however, for us, the challenge is bigger.

"We need to focus on what we’ve got, what we’re good at, recognise our weaknesses, but play to our strengths, and continue learning. We’ve got to learn pretty fast with these new regulations.

"There will be surprises once everyone is up and running, for sure, and it’s going to be about sticking together, reacting, and adapting as quickly as possible."