Haas praises Ferrari after Barcelona tests as power unit proves decisive. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu praised Ferrari’s power unit after the Barcelona F1 tests.

F1 | The best praise for Ferrari comes… from Haas: a key factor emerges from testing

Ayao Komatsu could hardly hide his enthusiasm. Haas’ positive showing during the Formula 1 tests in Barcelona was built around one crucial element: Ferrari’s power unit. The American team openly praised Ferrari after the Barcelona running, highlighting a Maranello engine that proved both fast and remarkably reliable throughout the test.

For Haas, it was essential to complete as many kilometres as possible, and the new power unit supplied by the Prancing Horse fully lived up to expectations. Ayao Komatsu was quick to acknowledge Ferrari’s contribution, offering public praise and setting ambitious targets for the months ahead. “They’ve done a fantastic job in terms of performance,” he said.

As is often the case, only limited information has filtered out from the Barcelona tests, amid paddock whispers and educated guesses from insiders. Many observers appear to agree that Mercedes heads into the more representative Bahrain test sessions as the early favourite. At the same time, however, increasingly positive signals are emerging around Ferrari, particularly regarding the power unit developed in Maranello.

One of the clearest examples comes from Haas itself. Thanks largely to Ferrari’s engine, the American team was able to complete almost 457 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It was a massive testing programme, and a first of its kind for Haas, allowing the team to gather crucial data for the development of the VF-26.

Ayao Komatsu thanks Ferrari

“Ferrari has done an absolutely outstanding job in bringing the performance to this level and in guaranteeing the reliability we’ve seen,” explained the Haas team principal. “Managing to complete 150 laps on the very first day is, I think, a record for us.”

The only issues encountered by the team, Ayao Komatsu underlined, were minor and unavoidable “electrical gremlins” that did not compromise the overall programme.

“Over the course of the test days we didn’t experience any serious engine-related problems,” Ayao Komatsu added. “A lot of cars triggered red flags here and there, but in our case we never stopped because of power unit issues. Having an engine this reliable helps us make progress: it’s a very encouraging sign.”

The glowing feedback from Ayao Komatsu regarding Ferrari’s 2026 Power Unit highlights a significant shift in the competitive landscape as the “Year Zero” of the new regulations begins. By providing Haas with a platform capable of record-breaking mileage on its debut, Ferrari has demonstrated that its winter development focus on reliability and thermal efficiency is already paying dividends. While outright pace remains to be seen, the ability of the Haas VF-26 to avoid Power Unit-related red flags suggests that the Maranello engine may be the most “race-ready” package on the grid, offering a vital head start to both the works team and its customers as they head toward the Australian Grand Prix.

Haas has therefore officially credited Ferrari for their most productive pre-season shakedown in team history, citing the 2026 engine’s remarkable reliability as a foundational element for their upcoming campaign.