The French driver started 15th, fought back to 11th in the first laps, but finished 16th. Komatsu confirmed they are working to improve the basic performance ahead of Silverstone.
Esteban Ocon had another complicated weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, the Haas driver started from fifteenth position and made a magnificent start that allowed him to climb to eleventh place in the first two laps, but the hope did not last long because the VF-26 once again showed its limitations, as the race progressed Ocon consistently lost positions and finally finished in sixteenth position, far from the points zone.
The Frenchman was clear in diagnosing the car's problems: "We knew there was a problem with the car, but the positive thing is that we gave it our all this weekend, we have taken its potential to the limit and we have tried to change every possible component, but we keep finding the same problem. The start was incredible, we worked very hard as a team to get the best possible result. We overtook everyone at the start and on the first lap, I almost scored points. I was with the Racing Bulls, but they overtook me after a while, which is hard to accept" declared Ocon at the end of the race.
The French driver explained the VF-26's shortcomings: "We need the car to work properly again, that's the first step, we lack power and the problem is that I'm spinning on the tires. I can keep up for the first few laps, but then the other cars overtake me" said Ocon, who has gone several races without scoring points.
Ayao Komatsu, Haas team principal, confirmed that the team is aware of the problems and is working to solve them: "We need to improve the basic performance, which means a faster car and we are working on that. We hope to reach these performance levels as soon as possible" declared the Haas boss.
The weekend in Austria was especially frustrating for Ocon because he had shown good pace in the first laps and seemed to be able to fight for points, but tire degradation and lack of power prevented him from maintaining the pace. Haas has had a complicated start to the season, with ups and downs in the VF-26's performance, and the team needs to find a solution if it wants to fight for the midfield again.
The answer will come in the next event of the season, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which takes place on July 5. Haas hopes that the upgrades they are preparing will allow Ocon and his teammate Oliver Bearman to score points again and recover lost ground in the constructors' championship.
