Formula 1 returns to the US after a two-year wait, but a successful return home is unlikely for the championship’s only American licensed team.
The team founded by businessman Gene Haas has resigned itself to becoming the last of 10 teams in the Formula 1 classification for the first time since its debut in 2016. It should be the last, doubted points would be possible and really focused on the 2022 season before the 2021 season started.
The root of the slump can be traced back to a confusing 2019 car that was poorly designed. This situation was accentuated when 2020 and the pandemic hit.
The radical new Formula 1 regulations for 2021 were postponed until 2022, while Haas had turned off the money until the uncertainty caused by the pandemic was resolved. The 2020 car from Haas, practically a further development of the unloved 2019 machine, remained almost undeveloped. This package was then modified to meet the streamlined regulations introduced for 2021. In Formula 1, you move backwards when you stand still, and Haas did just that by running 22 Grand Prix with no points. This streak could reach 28 races by the end of the season.
Haas F1 team
Season rating according to season
- 2016 – 8th place, 29 points
- 2017 – 8th place, 47 points
- 2018 – 5th place, 93 points
- 2019 – 9th place, 28 points
- 2020 – 9th place, 3 points
- * 2021 – 10th place, 0 points
* – 6 races left in the 2021 schedule.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Haas has redirected its resources to its 2022 project and used the setback as an opportunity to assess its predicament. The team expanded its engineering base in Maranello, Italy, on the campus of long-term partner Ferrari, which supplies Haas with its power unit, transmission and all parts not listed in accordance with the regulations.
Ferrari’s former chief designer, Simone Resta, stepped in as technical director to oversee development of the VF-22. It has a partnership with chassis company Dallara based in Varano, Italy, while there is another engineering group in Banbury, UK, with the team’s headquarters still in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Processes have been streamlined and clearer structures created.
The team will be improved next year. To the right?
“At the beginning of this year we knew where we would stand,” said the pragmatic team boss Günther Steiner in an exclusive interview with Autoweek.
The latest work behind the scenes reminds Steiner of the first years of its existence, he says. He was at the helm for Haas’s entire voyage.
Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher
Michael ReganGetty Images
“We’re building again. In ’19 our car wasn’t strong. When we knew where we were going – that we wanted to stay in Formula 1 – it was after August and there was no point in fixing a car that wasn’t strong from the start, so we decided to move on to ’22’ to concentrate .
“We then just took a step back and said, ‘What do we have to do to get back to where we were in the early years of Haas F1?’ And that’s where we started. And I think we made the team stronger than before.
“We now have a permanent office in Maranello, and between Aero and Design there are around 80 employees. We still work with Dallara because they are a good company that can add a lot, but we have moved people from Dallara base to Haas employees at Ferrari, along with people from Ferrari. We did that to make sure we would give ourselves the best chance to be back where we want to be next year. “
Moving early to 2022 won’t necessarily give Haas a big head start next season. Other teams have done the same and prioritized 2022 over 2021 – aware of the long-term opportunity that an effective reset offers. And while the new budget cap for 2021 will help the smaller teams in the long run, its short-term impact is minimal.
“We had to rebuild and that took some time,” said Steiner. “I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage (early move), but at least we’ve reduced the disadvantage as much as possible.”
Team boss Günther Steiner and Haas F1 Team Chairman and founder Gene Haas visit the paddock in Portugal at the beginning of this season.
Peter FoxGetty Images
It’s also easily overlooked that while Haas is already preparing for seventh year, he is still the youngest contender in Formula 1. Five other 21st century teams that started from scratch – Toyota, Super Aguri, HRT (also known as Hispania), Virgin Racing (which became Marussia and then Manor), and Team Lotus (which became Caterham) – are all disappeared. Getting a Formula 1 team up and running and then surviving is no easy task.
“As a team, we now have more experience,” said Steiner. “But we still have opportunities to catch up with the teams (who have been here a long time). They have refined processes, and every year they refine them more. The margin they need to get better is smaller and we still have better steps ahead of us, but there are still a few more years. “
Owner Gene Haas has been holding back lately, only takes part in Grands Prix sporadically and does without the microphones. Haas, who last month visited his base in Maranello, Italy with Steiner, operates in a realistic landscape but has emphasized the need for recovery.
“His expectation is not to be where we are now and to return to where we were before 2020 when all these things met,” Steiner said of Haas’s hopes. “So he wants to come back to the fact that we’re competitive in midfield, that’s what he wants. He’s not a guy to give us a goal: “You have to be fifth, sixth, seventh, whatever” because he knows it’s a moving target as we don’t know where the other teams are ( until 2022). It could be very easy to be high up, but it could be very difficult to be high up. We have to be respected again for what we were before and just go back to our old form, as we were when we got into Formula 1. “
“We need to be respected again for what we were before and just go back to our old form …”
It is this previous form that gives courage. Before the slump began in mid-2019, Haas was a formidable competitor in midfield as it defied expectations by fighting in midfield. It ranked eighth for the first two years of its existence, then rose to fifth place in 2018, scoring 93 points and occasionally came close to the podium.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we’ve done it before and we can obviously make it, we have a new group of people, but there are still a lot of old people with us, they are not all” new, “says Steiner . “I’m pretty confident, it’s more like I don’t know how strong the competition will be next year compared to ’16, ’17 or ’18 so we’ll have to wait for that. But from our side I think that we are in a good place again and I see very similar things to (what was) before (2020). “
Haas F1 will remain with Nikita Mazepin (left) and Mick Schumacher in 2022. In 2021 the two rookies will be goalless.
Lars BaronGetty Images
Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin are responsible for bringing Haas’ progress on track. Their Formula 1 racing experience is limited compared to their rivals as they both debuted in 2021, but Steiner has confidence in the two 22-year-olds.
“I think they’re doing the right things right now; they try to learn as much as possible, ”says Steiner. “But the proof is in the pudding and the pudding is next year. So then we’ll see what happens. But I’m confident they can deliver, and that was part of the plan for our transition year: we develop the guys and they are ready for next year. We planned it, so I hope we can do it too, like a better car. “
While Haas is focused on 2022, the upcoming US Grand Prix offers at least some comfort at home for the first time since 2019. Austin’s event is sold out and there is more to be expected as Miami joins it next May.
“I think the USA is becoming more and more important for Formula 1, it’s a big market, we’re the only American team,” says Steiner, who lives in the USA. “We don’t prepare any differently (than other races), but it’s nice to see the fans. We have a good following, we have Haas Hill and people have been coming for years and cheering us on and that’s nice to see. ”
There’s no American driver in the pipeline yet, but Steiner says Haas will look into if and when potential candidates file an appeal. But in the absence of local talent, fans at least have to support Haas – even if they have little to cheer about this year.
“I think just believe in us,” Steiner says to his Haas followers. “We did that when we got into Formula 1 before we started in ’16. We were not given a chance, we were told “this will never work”, “we will never score” and “in two or three years you will be done”. We scored points in our first race, finished fifth in our third year, and we’re still in our sixth season here.
“There are many positive things. Yes, ’20 and ’21 weren’t good seasons for us, but people don’t usually get stupid within a couple of years. We’ll come back, we’ll recover, we don’t know what level, but we’re here to stay, we’re here to fight back and I’m pretty confident that it will happen. “
This content is created and maintained by a third party and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may find more information on this and similar content at piano.io
The post Last place Haas F1 team is determined to prove the doubters wrong first appeared on monter-une-startup.
