As the new season approaches, all teams are already working behind the scenes to prepare for the championship. Haas kicked off its 2025 preparations with a test session in early January at Jerez, while work continues in Maranello and Banbury ahead of the upcoming season, which will start in a few weeks.
The new car, the VF-25, will feature a redesigned chassis to eliminate technical limitations encountered during the development of last season’s car, allowing for greater design freedom. However, this does not mean the new car will be entirely different from the past, as it will retain the same concept and the front suspension from the VF-24.
Although Haas recently signed an agreement with Toyota that will extend to multiple areas—such as unlocking additional funding for TPC tests and building an in-house simulator—the collaboration will not include the use of the Japanese manufacturer’s wind tunnel.
Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu has not entirely ruled out a change in the future but emphasized that there are no plans to move away from Ferrari’s wind tunnel in Maranello, which is also used by the Scuderia itself. This decision is based on both technical and logistical reasons, giving the use of Ferrari’s facility a dual advantage.
“Yes, we still use Ferrari’s wind tunnel. Saying that we will never use Toyota’s wind tunnel is a strong statement, but for the foreseeable future, we have no intention of leaving Maranello’s wind tunnel,” Komatsu told the media before the season, also outlining how the team’s engineers and procedures will evolve.
For Haas, continuing to use Ferrari’s facility is beneficial because Ferrari competes in Formula 1 and faces the same challenges, meaning it regularly updates its tools, including the wind tunnel.
During the last summer break, Ferrari upgraded the rolling road, a crucial element in modern F1, as ground-effect cars must run close to the track surface to generate more downforce from the floor. While there are costs to amortize, any improvements Ferrari makes to its facilities will also benefit Haas.
“For me, it’s a win-win situation because we and Ferrari are competing in the same championship. Any specific hardware issue in their wind tunnel, related to the ground-effect regulations of this generation, is something Ferrari is researching and addressing,” Ayao Komatsu explained.
Beyond the amortization costs, Ferrari itself handles the necessary updates, which go beyond simply replacing hardware components and involve extensive research to determine the modifications needed.
“As a result, we benefit from it without having to conduct the necessary research ourselves. So, for the foreseeable future, I see no reason to leave Maranello’s wind tunnel for Toyota’s.”
Moving to Cologne would create logistical challenges A decade ago, Toyota’s Cologne wind tunnel had several clients, but in recent years, McLaren was its only user. McLaren’s reliance on Toyota’s facility stemmed from limitations and necessary upgrades to its own wind tunnel in Woking. However, this setup had drawbacks, as components had to be shipped to Germany for testing.
Once McLaren completed its new wind tunnel in Woking, Toyota lost a key customer. Andretti is expected to take its place, having already used the facility in recent months to test a model for the 2025 regulations in hopes of an eventual F1 debut.
For Haas, the situation involves two key considerations. Any upgrades to the Toyota facility would depend entirely on Toyota, just as Ferrari manages its own wind tunnel updates. However, Toyota’s upgrades might not align with F1’s specific needs or could be delayed due to financial constraints or commitments to other projects requiring long-term planning.
Additionally, logistics remain a significant concern. Haas relies on external suppliers for component manufacturing, and while its collaboration with Toyota may partially address this, many of its suppliers—including Dallara—are based in Italy. Moreover, a portion of Haas’s engineering team, particularly those focused on aerodynamics, operates from Maranello. Haas also purchases components from Ferrari.
Switching wind tunnels without a clear economic or technical incentive would force a restructuring of the existing setup. Considering all these factors, Haas has chosen to continue using Ferrari’s wind tunnel.
Feb 3, 2025
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