Aston Martin's Hungarian GP upgrades worked well, despite them not scoring points in round 11. However, the Silverstone-based team was far more competitive than in the previous ten Grand Prix, finishing ahead of both Haas and Williams cars. With the latter team bringing major upgrades by Baku, this is a concern for Haas, who currently occupy P7 in the constructor standings.
The issue for Haas, who have Audi breathing down their neck, is that they don't have the budget to develop their car. Their rivals have the cash to outspend the American outfit, leaving the team and its drivers looking over their shoulders in the standings.
Ayao Komatsu admits Haas lacks the funds to compete
Esteban Ocon scored Haas's last points at round 6 in Monaco, making them pointless in their last five races. Early on in the season, the American team looked competitive, with Oliver Bearman finishing P5 in China. However, as the season has gone on, the team have dropped further down the field, with only one top 12 finish between both drivers in the last 5 Grand Prix.
Team principal Ayai Komatsu has admitted the team doesn't have the funds to operate at the budget cap, meaning they are lagging in the development race. This leaves the VF-26 susceptible to dropping down the pecking order as others outspend Gene Haas's team.
Speaking in Belgium, ↗︎Komatsu said, "It's one of the top priorities on my job list. To be able to fund this team so that we can operate at the budget cap. Because that's the baseline, right? We should be achieving that first off. I wish we could, but we're not."
The prize money is key for cash-strapped teams like Haas, and finishing P7 would be seen as a good season for them. However, with other teams able to throw more money at upgrades, clinging on to that position could be a tall order for the team.
What does this mean for the midfield battle?
Haas are currently 40 points behind Alpine, who currently hold sixth spot in the standings. Their main battle is to hold onto and consolidate seventh in the table. The American team currently hold a nine-point lead over Aldi, and a ten-point advantage over Williams. However, with those two teams and Aston Martin spending more on their challengers, the gap is easily catchable.
Aston Martin brought a major upgrade package to Hungary, which took them into the midfield fight. The Green Team are also expecting Honda to bring a major engine update for the next race weekend in Zandvoort, which should gain the Silverstone-based team more time and speed.
| Alpine - 61 points |
| Haas - 21 points |
| Audi - 12 points |
| Williams - 11 points |
| Aston Martin - 1 point |
| Cadillac - 0 points |
Williams are also bringing upgrades over the next few race weekends, and by the Azerbaijan GP, expect to be more competitive. Audi also look like they've found some form, scoring points in the last three races. The German outfit have also had a car finish in P11 on six occasions this season.
Despite this being a boost to the chasing pack, there is one thing in Haas's favour: the Racing Bulls. Currently, the Red Bull junior team is scoring well and securing the final points positions. Other teams are mainly picking up points when the bigger teams suffer DNFs. This means, barring a crazy race day, despite the upgrades coming in, Haas's rivals are unlikely to score big. This is the hope the American team might be clinging on to hold onto P7.
