Historic moment for Haas: As the US Formula 1 racing team announced on Monday, the team will complete test drives in Jerez, Spain, this week. A unique event in the racing team’s young history.
There are still a few weeks until the official Formula 1 test drives in Bahrain. These will take place from February 26th to 28th. Only there are the new cars put through their paces by the teams. The teams are allowed to complete private test drives in older models of their cars beforehand.
The Haas team announced exactly such a test on Monday. For the first time in its short Formula 1 history, the US racing team will take part in a so-called TPC test. The race will take place later this week at the Circuito Permanente de Jerez, where a total of seven Formula 1 races took place in the 80s and 90s.
The drivers will be the two new regular drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman as well as the 25-year-old Japanese Ritomo Miyata, who will compete in Formula 2 in 2025. Bearman and Miyata will take over the first drives on Wednesday, Ocon will climb into the cockpit on Thursday.
Haas always lacked the money for Formula 1 test drives
In recent years, Haas has always refrained from taking part in the TPC tests, in which this year a total of 1,000 kilometers can be driven in a Formula 1 car that is at least two years old. The reason was the budget, which simply did not allow for these expensive extra rounds.
This year, however, Haas has a financially strong partner at its side in Toyota. Both companies announced a collaboration last October. The Japanese engine manufacturer primarily wants to make use of Haas’ F1 knowledge, while the F1 racing team, on the other hand, wants to benefit from Toyota’s gigantic infrastructure.
Team boss Ayao Komatsu assured last fall that the deal with Toyota would in no way affect the Haas collaboration with Ferrari.