The arrival of Komatsu could go hand in hand with Honda’s as an engine supplier for Haas in 2026

These last few hours have been eventful at Haas: Günther Steiner’s departure, replaced by Ayao Komatsu at the helm of the team, followed by a rumor of Simone Resta, Haas’ technical director, leaving.

But with the departure of this Italian partnership, what about the engine partnership with Ferrari? Can Honda, with Komatsu now leading Haas F1, come to power the American team in 2026, the date of the brand new engine regulations?

The Haas / Ferrari partnership.

In the short term, Ferrari remains a crucial element of Haas’ project. In fact, one of the pillars of the American team’s presence in F1 is its very close relationship with the Reds, which has been maintained since its debut in Formula 1 in 2016. Haas takes over the power unit from the Scuderia as well as a series of parts, including the suspensions, which are allowed under the regulations.

This partnership has indeed caused a lot of controversy in the past. After a superb qualification of both Haas cars in the Australian Grand Prix (5th and 6th), which opened the 2018 season, the competitors of the American brand were questioning the legality of the collaboration between Haas and Ferrari.

But since then, the agreement between the two teams has lasted and even strengthened. In addition to its young drivers from the Ferrari Driver Academy who regularly join Haas, the prancing horse brand also sends engineers to the American team. Since 2021 and the budget cap rule, Ferrari has “loaned” employees, including Simone Resta, who is the prominent figure in these movements of engineers between Ferrari and Haas.

At the same time, Gene Haas’s team built buildings in Italy, with the help of Ferrari, in order to expand near Maranello.

A reshuffling that doesn’t seem to change the situation.

Following Günther Steiner’s sudden departure, Gene Haas declared to the official Formula 1 website that he was delighted with the partnership with Ferrari.

« Ferrari has been very good to us,” he said. « They have been with us since day one, building incredible engines. Their suspension system is extremely good. We use a great deal of their equipment. It works really well. They truly help us. I am embarrassed that we haven’t been able to do better with it, but in the future, I want to take advantage of good equipment that many other teams don’t have,” praised the Haas boss.

He adds: « We are very happy to stay with Ferrari. I hope we can assist them in terms of reliability. In the future, when Sauber abandons the power of Ferrari, we would be the only user of Ferrari. They may want to take on a client or two. Perhaps they will be pleased with us.

“But we must do better. We cannot be so far behind Ferrari. We need to be closer to them,” he concluded.

Like any good team boss, Gene Haas reassures his men and wants to demonstrate his confidence in Ferrari in the short term.

What about 2026?

On its side, Ferrari has lost one of its clients for 2026. Indeed, Sauber, which will become Stake F1 Team starting this year, and then will become Sauber – Audi in 2026, will develop its own engine.

Unofficially, there is now only one technical and engine partner left for Ferrari for 2026, namely Haas. However, no official communication has been made yet and the recent changes at the American team could tip the balance.

Which way could this balance lean towards then? Since Ayao Komatsu’s arrival as team director, Haas could choose to lean towards a Honda engine.

Honda Racing Corporation, for its part, was uncertain when registering on the engine supplier list for the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Japanese group did not have a team to power until the confirmation of the collaboration between the Japanese and Aston Martin F1.

However, even though the question may arise, Haas F1 Team still has a very strong connection with Scuderia Ferrari and is even getting closer to Maranello. But in Formula 1, everything can change very quickly, and a turnaround from the American team cannot be excluded for now.