In a significant departure from its established practice, the Haas F1 team has opted not to adopt Ferrari’s new front suspension layout for its 2025 car.
The decision marks a notable shift for the American outfit, which has historically relied on the latest components from its technical partner and engine supplier.
Ferrari is expected to introduce a pull-rod front suspension on its 2025 contender, a concept not seen in Maranello since 2015 and which is widely anticipated to bring aerodynamic advantages.
However, Haas has chosen to carry over Ferrari’s 2024 front suspension components instead of integrating the new design, a decision rooted in pragmatism and the team’s own technical evaluations.
A Calculated Departure
Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu highlighted the significance of the choice, noting that it reflects the team’s growing confidence in its decision-making processes.
“That’s a significant moment in my mind, because so far in nine seasons of Haas F1 team, we always went with Ferrari’s latest supply, and not because that was the informed choice, because that was the safest and easiest choice,” Komatsu told the media earlier this week, quoted by The Race.
Ferrari last used a pull-rod front suspension in 2015, on its SF15-T.
The decision was made after extensive deliberations involving Haas Technical Director Andrea De Sordo, Head of Aero Davide Paganelli, and Performance Director Damien Brayshaw.
According to Komatsu, their analysis revealed that carrying over the 2024 suspension would allow Haas to avoid the initial aerodynamic disruption caused by adopting a new system, enabling continuous development on other critical areas of the car.
“They’ve been talking about this for the last few seasons, but we never actually did carry over the front suspension,” Komatsu explained.
“But when they looked at it properly in terms of, ‘OK, if we buy Ferrari’s ’25 front suspension, when are we going to have the information available and what does that mean in terms of the aero hit?’ because you have to take a hit first, you have to recover.
“So comparing that and how much potential that unlocks against [the benefit if you] don’t stop development because we carry over the front suspension.
“They’ve done the proper study, and the conclusion was we should do a carryover. Then we had the confidence to then go for that decision, whereas before we didn’t.”
Balancing 2025 and Beyond
The decision comes at a critical time for Formula 1 teams, with the sport set to introduce a new rules cycle in 2026. Despite this, Komatsu stressed that Haas cannot afford to treat the 2025 season as a transitional year.
©Haas
“At the end of the day, we have to be competitive in ’25 as well,” Komatsu said.
“It’s not like we can say we’re focusing on ’26 so we write off ’25, that was the excuse in previous times, but it cannot happen.
“So we said, ‘To be the best in ’25, which is the best solution?’ And then after the proper study, their recommendation was we should go with the carryover. So I said, ‘Good, go for it.’”
New Chassis for the VF-25
While Haas is opting for continuity with its front suspension, the team is taking a different approach with the monocoque chassis for 2025.
Komatsu revealed that limitations in the VF-24 chassis hindered certain mid-season upgrades in 2024, which prompted the team to overhaul the design for its VF-25 challenger.
“We developed the car pretty well last year, but there are certain limitations that we had to accept,” Komatsu said.
“And then things we learned mid-season about how to unlock performance – even [things] we wanted to do for Silverstone and Austin [upgrades] but we couldn’t do because of the limitation of the chassis design.
“So we decided to change for this year’s car,” he concluded.
Haas’ decision to forgo Ferrari’s latest suspension design underscores the team’s evolving strategy, emphasizing informed, data-driven choices over reliance on its technical partner.
With the VF-25 featuring a new chassis and refined components, Haas aims to capitalize on its progress in 2024 while laying a solid foundation for the future.
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