- Haas holds only ninth place in this year’s Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, having been passed by Alfa Romeo at the most recent round in Qatar.
- This week at the United States Grand Prix, Haas will introduce its overhauled VF-23.
- It is the latest team to have been influenced by the design philosophy of World Champions Red Bull,and the VF-23 will feature heavily revised bodywork, including a new floor, engine cover, sidepod inlet and sidepods.
Formula 1 returns to the United States this weekend for the second of three 2023 visits and the designated United States Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
Amid all the talk of whether Formula 1 will approve Andretti Cadillac—an application from America—the championship’s existing American squad—the Haas F1 Team—is seeking a much-needed uplift.
Haas may not exactly be an all-American outfit, given that Formula 1 teams are full of international flavors, but it still regards the United States as home. The Haas’ VF-23 will be dressed in a special stars and stripes-themed livery, with the race drivers sporting special firesuits and its tagline for the weekend is ‘We The People,’ reflecting the opening lines of the U.S. Constitution.
“There’s obviously a lot of talk about American teams right now, but we’re still currently the only American team on the Formula 1 grid,” said Haas team principal Guenther Steiner. “Many have said for years that we haven’t exploited that fact, but I’ve always said that’s because we want to earn credibility within the paddock first.
“We’ve been through a lot in our short time, but along the way have amassed a very loyal, and growing fanbase, and we want to recognize them. Yes, it’s some nice marketing, but anyone who works with my team knows how passionate they are, and how funny and genuine our fans are. This race is dedicated to them as, we the people, make Haas what it is.”
Haas’ cosmetic changes may be visually attractive, and a pointed statement toward its critics, but it is the substance of the VF-23 that will provide intrigue as the squad bids to revive its flagging fortunes and right the ship for 2024.
Haas started brightly under Formula 1’s new-for-2022 technical regulations, but it has faded and holds only ninth in this year’s Constructors’ Championship, having been passed by Alfa Romeo at the last round in Qatar. The VF-23 has windows where it can be quick, particularly in qualifying, but across race runs the performance disappears and is accentuated by high tire degradation.
After several events of treading water, Haas will introduce its overhauled VF-23 at the Circuit of the Americas. It is the latest team to have been influenced by the design philosophy of World Champions Red Bull and the VF-23 will feature heavily revised bodywork, including a new floor, engine cover, sidepod inlet and sidepods. A greater level of performance is obviously Haas’ aim, but of more importance is feedback that can also influence the team’s 2024 package.
“We changed the concept of the car because what we started with, because of the new regulations last year, we couldn’t make any more gains performance-wise,” said Steiner. “Creating more downforce and less drag, it just wasn’t there anymore, so we needed to change concept, to which is commonly known as the ‘Red Bull concept’ or the ‘downwash concept.’
“It is a substantial update, and we’re able to do this within the cost cap because we didn’t have any updates at the beginning of the season because again, going back, we couldn’t find any performance that we could make parts to put on the car.”
Haas F1 cars will sport a special American-themed VF-23 Livery for the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have combined to score just 12 points this season (9-3 in Hulkenberg’s favor), with half of them coming through Hulkenberg’s seventh place in the chaotic Australian GP back in April. Hulkenberg has not scored in a main race since—with his other points coming in Austria’s Sprint Race—while Magnussen has mustered just top 10s in just Saudi Arabia, Miami, and Singapore. The pair are already confirmed as Haas’ 2024 driver lineup.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t hope it will give us a big improvement, but I think there’s actually a second element to bringing this upgrade which is to research for next year,” said Magnussen.
“I think we’re all secretly hoping it performs better than what we currently have but actually the bigger target with this is, is the research and the learning we can do for next year’s car. I think it’s been clear that in very specific circumstances our car can perform, but it’s a too narrow window and we need to broaden it and make it more user friendly and compliant with a bigger variety of tracks and conditions. Hopefully we’ll be able to follow easier and be more friendly to tires.”
Hulkenberg has echoed Magnussen’s thoughts as Haas strives to avoid circling around COTA at the back of the pack.
“The update is highly anticipated, it’s been a long time coming and it’s aimed to improve our performance, characteristics, and the weaknesses of the car we’ve found which has made us struggle especially on Sunday,” said Hulkenberg. “It’s to help tire wear, consistency, and better performance. Kevin and I since the beginning of the season, or after every session, feed back our findings and feelings to the engineers and designers.
“Hopefully, there’s a big jump in performance, but also, we need direction for next year—where we’re going to go with this car, which philosophy we’ll follow and which direction to take.”
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