P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon will run the early stages of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend with different spec cars
The Haas Formula 1 team is splitting its cars at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, with Oliver Bearman running a major aero upgrade package on his VF-26, and Esteban Ocon initially sticking with the previous version. Ocon will use the same spec for both sprint qualifying and Saturday’s sprint due to time constraints, but will switch to the new package for main qualifying and the race if it proves successful. The aero upgrade package was originally planned for Miami, but additional R&D work delayed its introduction to the Canadian Grand Prix. Ocon mentioned that he prioritized receiving the new parts first during the previous race, so this time it was Bearman’s turn to test them initially. Team boss Ayao Komatsu believes the new package will provide a significant gain if it performs well, but he also mentioned the importance of exploring setup changes with the previous package. Ocon acknowledged the challenge of adapting to a new package straight into qualifying, but emphasized the necessity of comparing and validating the two packages throughout the weekend.
