“Everything is new,” claims De Zordo as Haas unveils the livery of its 2026 Formula One Challenger

F1 Grand Prix, GP Mexico, Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez

TGR Haas F1 Team has lifted the covers on the livery of its 2026 Formula One car, marking the beginning of a radically new era for the sport. Technical Director Andrea De Zordo described the project as the most complex undertaking in the team’s history, emphasising that the new regulations have forced a complete rethink of every component, every process, and every assumption.

“This car started life back in the second half of 2024,” De Zordo explained. “We had a small group looking at the concept of the new car, and it remained with that group until the launch of the VF‑25. After that, the split between resources continued to increase towards the 2026 program, fully switching over after the summer break.”

Balancing two car programs simultaneously was one of the defining challenges of the past 18 months. “We had a small group still working on the VF‑25 until pretty late on due to the tight championship fight,” he said. “It was about deciding the main points of focus for both 2025 and 2026, without losing too much time on what we knew would be a big season.”

De Zordo stressed that the 2026 regulations have reshaped the car in ways fans will immediately notice — and in ways they won’t.

“The most visible changes will be the different‑looking front wing and rear wing, the addition of a board in the side of the car before the floor, and the fact that the cars will be slightly smaller,” he said. “Both front and rear wings now move, but differently from previous years because they won’t only open and close during DRS straights, but whenever the driver chooses.”

“In my opinion, the biggest change isn’t visible,” he continued. “It’s the different split of energy for the power unit, between the internal combustion engine and the electrical part. It’s a monumental change and one that will impact the way we go racing.”

The development path to the car’s first collective running has been long and unforgiving. De Zordo described it as “a marathon,” adding that “when we think we’re at the end of it, I suspect it will just be the beginning.”

De Zordo reserved particular praise for the team behind the car: “What I have been very impressed with is the work ethic and determination of this group,” he said.

“They’re working very hard, very long days – often into the middle of the night – and they’re not doing that because I’m telling them to, but because they want to. They’re all deeply invested, and it’s a big sign of maturity and team spirit.”

He added that the team should be “proud of this achievement,” given the scale of the challenge. Despite the enormous effort, De Zordo refused to make predictions about the competitive order.

“There are too many unknowns to guess where anyone will be,” he said. “It’s very unpredictable, but we’re going to start to discover a lot over the next month.”

Still, he made clear that Haas is not entering the season merely to participate. “It’s definitely not just to finish a race because we’re not here to participate, we’re here to challenge. We’ve put so much work in because we want to produce the best possible car and to be as competitive as possible.”

Asked where he expects the biggest performance swings, De Zordo pointed to the early emphasis on power‑unit behaviour.

“With the PU, as it’s all so new, there is — not necessarily more to gain, but a lot more to lose if you don’t do well,” he said. “To understand how it works and how to maximize that will probably be the most important part.”

But he expects the balance to shift as the season progresses: "After a certain time, when drivers, teams and also power unit suppliers learn more about this new way of racing, then gradually the performance on the energy side will converge between competitors.

"The main differentiator will then go back to being on the aero side.” For now, though, the priority is clear: “Initially, managing that energy side will be critical this year.”