Ahead of new F1 season, Haas has revealed its 2018 car. The first to show off its halo design, the team that finished eighth in the constructors championship last year has refined rather than redesigned its car
F1 outfit Haas has become the first team to reveal its halo-equipped car ahead of the 2018 season. The VF-18 was unveiled in a series of rendered images released via the team’s social media platforms last night (February 14).
Haas’s team principle, Guenther Steiner, has acknowledged that the only major changes were the halo and subsequent reduction of the shark fin engine cover: “The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the halo.
“It took quite a bit of study by the aerodynamicists, but the designers had to work hard to modify the chassis so the halo could survive the mandated loads. The total minimum weight of the car increased because of the halo, and there’s a higher center of gravity simply because of the halo’s position. But, everyone is in the same boat.”
The Ferrari-powered car is claimed to be an evolution of its predecessor rather than a redesign. The VF17 achieved an eighth-place finish and the team has attempted to refine its weaknesses.
“Our 2017 car was actually pretty good, but we didn’t always get the best out of it, and that’s what we aimed to change in 2018,” added Steiner. “We got the car as light as possible to carry more ballast. We were able to do a better job of putting the weight where we wanted it.”
The VF-18 adorns the color scheme that is synonymous with the team’s title sponsor. Covered with a mainly grey livery, the car also features tones of red and black.
“The livery is a little bit of a return to what we had on our first car, the VF-16,” Steiner commented. “Its look is clean and precise, just like the machine tools made by Haas Automation.”
Testing for the VF-18 will begin on February 26 at Circuit de Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain, ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 25.
