- Now in the sixth year of its existence, the Haas F1 Team has established itself as a real backmarker of Formula 1 with 0 points in 2021
- Team boss Günther Steiner said early on that the team had not committed itself to developing the car in 2021, but instead was concentrating on the new regulations from 2022.
- The rookie drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin found themselves at the bottom of the field more often this season than against the leaders.
The North Carolina-based Haas F1 team will finish last in this year’s Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship for the first time in its existence after its rivals clearly pulled out before the Formula 1 summer break.
Haas has ranked eighth, eighth, fifth, ninth and ninth in the previous F1 Constructors’ Championship since making its debut in 2016. While scoring points every season, Haas practically gave up his prospects for 2021 before the season started.
The team is the only team without a point in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship 2021, which means that both Haas drivers, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, have not made it into the top 10 in any race this season.
F1 constructors’ championship 2021
Through 11 out of 23 races
- Mercedes 303
- Red Bull 291
- Ferrari 163
- McLaren 163
- Alpine 77
- AlphaTauri 68
- Aston Martin 48
- Williams 10
- Alfa Romeo 3
- Haas 0
Haas F1 team bosses Günther Steiner and Gene Haas are down, but not out. The team is determined to start a climb up the league table in 2022.
Peter FoxGetty Images
The rumor mill left team owner Gene Haas doubting the team’s very existence in early 2020 as the pandemic spawned a litany of strangers. A sponsorship infusion from billionaire Dmitry Mazpin helped the team, but Haas still decided to close the cash tap for the 2021 program. The postponement of the new Formula 1 regulations by 12 months meant an additional season of pedaling for the team. His 2020 car, which was just an evolution of the unloved and tricky 2019 package, was modified solely to comply with the tweaked rules for 2021.
Before the 2021 season, the team signed two rookies, Ferrari-backed Mick Schumacher and the well-funded Nikita Mazepin (Dmitry’s son), to replace veterans Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. There was a new paint job, the coloring of which led to comparisons with the flag of Russia, Mazepin’s homeland, with his father’s Uralkali company acting as the title sponsor.
It was in preparation for a year of failures on the first lap of qualifying, blue flag races, and the occasional accident as its rookie drivers got going in Formula 1. This is how it turned out at halftime. The team only made the second qualifying round once, while Schumacher – who remarkably has finished every race – has done 17 laps in 11 races.
Williams, most recently from 2018 to 2020, got a gold mine of 10 points at the crazy Hungarian GP. Alfa Romeo only has three, but even that number seems like an unlikely goal for Haas this season.
“The chances are very slim,” admitted Haas team boss Günther Steiner, avoiding the dreaded P10 in the team standings. “I’m very realistic about these things.
F1 rookie Mick Schumacher, whose best result this season in Hungary is 12th place, has a bit of glamor.
FLORION GOGAGetty Images
“At first we knew there was no point investing in this car (for 2021) as the 2019 car was not good. Last year we stopped development completely, so invested a lot – not just money, but people – it’s not something you want to do. Even with a good job we would still be in the lower midfield at most, so we decided to go all out next year. Hopefully this will pay off. I’m confident we can come back in midfield, but how far up it is, it’s too early (to say). “
Despite the difficult campaign so far, Steiner emphasized that there were bright moments.
“If you are not honest, you will never be successful in this sport.”
“We learned a lot of good things in the first half of the season, we just have to take that and do more in the second half,” said Steiner. “There weren’t many negatives, but when there are negatives we have to address them. We can’t just say “everything is good” until it’s really bad. It is very competitive and if you are not honest you will never be successful in this sport. “
Haas F1 over the years
Points
- 2016 29
- 2017 47
- 2018 93
- 2019 28
- 2020 3
- 2021 0
Haas’ rookies Schumacher and Mazepin reportedly face another 12 races with only the other car as company, and Steiner encourages wheel-to-wheel action between the two.
“In a race, even if they are racing between teammates, I want them to race as long as they don’t meet, because then they learn,” said Steiner. “If I tell them to walk in a line (and hold that position), it’s not sport.
“Of course I never asked her to fall, neither in practice nor in qualifying! But we’re not changing (the approach). “
Haas can only hope that his 2022 car will allow Schumacher and Mazepin to swap places beyond the back row and P19.
Is the Haas F1 Team a failed experiment? Can the team return to midfield in 2022? If so, who falls to the floor? Start a conversation in the comments section below.
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