The 2021 Formula 1 season may be over and the 2022 season not too far away, but now is a good time to take a look back at each of the teams and how their seasons went. In the reverse order of the constructors’ championships starting with Haas.
Preseason
There weren’t any great expectations before the start of the season. Haas made it very clear that they would not develop their car all year round, with the main focus on the 2022 car for the big regulatory changes.
The VF-21 itself was just last year’s car with a few tweaks for the regulatory changes and Haas hadn’t really developed that car until 2020!
It was definitely not a good sign for their season. However, this year was not in focus at all and they had no intention of wasting time or money developing the car.
Probably the biggest talking point about the Haas team was its two rookie drivers. The 2020 Formula 2 champion, Mick Schumacher, and his F2 driver colleague Nikita Mazepin.
Mazepin was seen as a wage driver who brought in substantial Russian sponsorship money from his father. He was never a Formula 2 title contender, but he won a few races in his day so clearly had a good level of skill.
Mick was the driver with the most spotlight on him. Son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and a product of the Ferrari Driver Academy, with the long-term goal of seeing him at Ferrari.
You have a team with a car that should be at the back of the grid with two rookies at the end of the grid. One of those drivers who analyzed every moment to see if he could stand up to his father’s call!
The season
As expected, the car was the slowest on the grid. Sometimes up to three seconds per lap slower than the cars at the front of the grid. However, there seemed to be a gap between the drivers from the start.
Mick seemed to have Mazepin in front from the first race. If you look at the results of qualifying and the race, Mick could easily beat him without external factors coming into play.
The 2021 rookie fight at @ HaasF1Team 
# F1 pic.twitter.com/iUA5LnAk5j
– Formula 1 (@ F1) December 20, 2021
It was what the majority of people expected ahead of the season, but it was a bit of a double-edged sword. Everyone expected them to beat Mazepin, but at the same time they didn’t give Mazepin much credit, so nobody knows how good Mick is anymore.
It’s difficult when you’re not up against other teams as there is little evidence that Mick is as good as people hope. People love the fairy tale of him taking his place at Ferrari and winning like his father.
As the season progressed, the car didn’t improve, but the team as a whole did. Haas used this season to focus on understanding the car and using various operating techniques. The team also focused on teaching drivers what it takes for them to develop cars.
It worked, because as the season progressed, the gap to the cars in front became a little smaller as the team got the most out of their car at every opportunity. While other teams that had developed something were still learning elements of their car at every race and not maximizing their cars.
In view of the low annual goals and the transition year, the season was actually a success for Haas. You need to look at them in isolation and not compare them to the other teams on the grid.
Haas F1 2022
It may bode well for the next year. Hopefully, when they have a more competitive car, with the operational improvements on the team and a full year of experience for the drivers, it will help them compete.
The upper midfield is probably a bit too much jump. Going back to midfield and fighting for points would be a good step. It would only be a reward for a very difficult season for them.
In the next season, points must be your goal. Otherwise, their team owner (Gene Haas) could start thinking about his future options for F1 and whether to retire.
Highlights
This season has been very difficult but it has had highlights and Turkey stands out.
With tricky conditions in qualifying. Mick put in a fantastic lap to qualify 14th in Q2 and benefited from the adverse weather conditions.
It wasn’t the only time Mick got into Q2. He made it to France too, but hit the wall at the end of the first quarter. This resulted in a red flag preventing other drivers from beating their times. While in Turkey he only escaped Q1 because of the pace.
In Turkey, Q2 wasn’t that great. However, Sainz did not set any time and Schumacher started the race in 14th. In the race he inevitably fell behind, overtaken by faster cars.
Another highlight was in Hungary. In the first laps, Schumacher fought with a number of drivers due to the unique start incidents there. He’d never hold her back realistically, but it’s nice to see him go wheel to wheel. Hopefully 2022 will bring Mazepin and Schumacher with the other teams more opportunities for wheel-to-wheel races.
Lows
Overall, the season wasn’t that great. Much could be considered a low point, but it’s hard to describe here. Low scores for other teams were standard scores for Haas!
What do you think were the highs and lows for the Haas F1? Let us know below!
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