(Motorsport-Total.com) – Ferrari’s improved power unit is one of the central topics in the paddock in Austria, but customer team Haas will not use the engine upgrade in Spielberg and will instead continue to install an old power unit in their car, as team principal Ayao Komatsu reveals before the event.
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“I can say that we will not use it,” the Japanese makes clear. However, he remains silent about the reasons: “Can we leave it at that? And maybe ask Ferrari?” he waves off when asked.
Asked if the reason is the installation into the chassis, Komatsu replies: “I wish that were the case.”
But why Haas is not using the improved engine, he leaves the attending journalists further in the dark. In any case, it is not because Ferrari has only brought an upgrade for the factory team and the customer teams Haas and Cadillac have to wait – that is not allowed by the regulations.
Because the rules stipulate that an engine manufacturer must equip its customer teams with the same specification as its own team. Whether they then use the engine is up to them. “We do not have to use it,” Komatsu denies. “I already said, we are not using it.”
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“You have to make it available. We have one in the garage, but we are not using it,” he clarifies. “So they have fulfilled their obligation to provide us with the same specification. That is prescribed in the regulations, but you do not have to use it.”
At least that applies to Spielberg, but whether Haas will have the new engine in the car afterwards in Silverstone, Komatsu also leaves open: “Very good question,” he says. “Honestly, that is still undecided. Seriously.”
Haas is seventh in the constructors’ championship with 21 points after the seventh race of the season.
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