The Haas F1 Team did impressively well last year. It
finished its debut season in eighth place, beating Renault, Sauber, and Manor.
That's the best any new F1 team has done on its debut since the turn of the
millennium. It aims to do even better this year, and this is the car with which
it aims to do so.
Called the VF-17, the team's second successive
design is a radical departure from the first: “I think the pedal box is the
same, but all the rest is very different from last year’s car,” said team
principal Guenther Steiner. “Aesthetically, the car has a more aggressive look.
It’s lighter and more aerodynamically efficient. Everything we learned from our
first car has been applied to our new car.”
The overhaul comes largely as a result in the new
technical regulations instituted for this season, which include enlarged front
wing, barge boards, rear wing and diffuser for increased downforce compared to
last year's cars, as well as wider tires for more mechanical grip.
The livery is made up of the same shades and red
accents, but this time takes up grey as the dominant color. There's also a
prominent vertical fin like some of the teams on the grid have
adopted for the new season ahead.
Having moved over last season, Romain Grosjean is
joined Kevin Magnussen (also from Renault) this season. With experience at
front-running teams, both drivers bring expertise to Haas where other newcomer
outfits have had to make do with inexperienced rookies, and their faith in the
Ferrari-backed American team (the first on the grid since the 1980s) speaks
volumes about Haas' prospects.
