Rob Smedley doesn't see a path forward for Haas. The former Ferrari race engineer told the High Performance Racing podcast that America's only F1 team will "never have the possibility of being frontrunners" under its current business model — one built around a Ferrari technical partnership that keeps costs down but caps development capacity. Co-host Jake Humphrey echoed the frustration: Haas routinely arrives with pace, then bleeds performance as rivals develop through the season. The numbers bear it out. Oliver Bearman banked 17 points across the first two rounds of 2026, then managed just one point over the next nine races with three retirements. Esteban Ocon has scored three. The team sits seventh in the constructors' standings with 21 points. Smedley praised Ayao Komatsu's management and Bearman's talent, but argued both deserve better machinery than Haas's structure can deliver. For American fans hoping to see the Stars and Stripes at the front, it's a blunt reality check.
Read the full story at Motorsport.comROB SMEDLEY CASTS DOUBT ON HAAS'S CHANCES OF BECOMING F1 FRONTRUNNERS
Rob Smedley doesn't see a path forward for Haas. The former Ferrari race engineer told the High Performance Racing podcast that America's only F1 team will "never have the possibility of being frontrunners" under its current business model — one built around a Ferrari technical partnership that keeps costs down but caps development capacity. Co-host Jake Humphrey echoed the frustration: Haas routinely arrives with pace, then bleeds performance as rivals develop through the season. The numbers bear it out. Oliver Bearman banked 17 points across the first two rounds of 2026, then managed just one point over the next nine races with three retirements. Esteban Ocon has scored three. The team sits seventh in the constructors' standings with 21 points. Smedley praised Ayao Komatsu's management and Bearman's talent, but argued both deserve better machinery than Haas's structure can deliver. For American fans hoping to see the Stars and Stripes at the front, it's a blunt reality check.
