Haas has become the first Formula 1 team to unveil its new 2022 livery and design for the upcoming season after releasing a series of computer-generated renders.
The Haas VF-22 car is the first produced by the American outfit out of its new design office in Maranello, and offers a sign of what the new cars will look like this year following the overhaul of the technical regulations.
Haas has retained the white, red and blue livery design it adopted last season following the arrival of title sponsor Uralkali, which is also the principal backer of driver Nikita Mazepin.
Mazepin and teammate Mick Schumacher both return for their second seasons in Formula 1 this year as Haas bids to bounce back from a difficult 2021 championship that saw it finish last in the constructors’ championship with zero points.
The team opted against developing its car last year so it could place full focus on the new regulations for 2022, which offer a significant change in the aerodynamic concept in a bid to allow for closer wheel-to-wheel racing.
This year marks the return of ground effect to Formula 1 via a change in the floor designs, while the new cars will also feature revised rear wings, simplified front wings and use 18-inch wheel rims.
While the renders are a sign of what the Haas VF-22 will look like under the regulations, it will not be until the physical car breaks cover at testing in Barcelona later this month that the full car design is revealed.
“It’s exciting to be at the point where we know the VF-22 will be on-track shortly,” said Haas F1 team principal Gunther Steiner.
“We all know what the team is capable of, we’ve proved that in the past, and with this new car – born out of a completely new set of regulations and with our new design team in place, I’m confident we can showcase once again that we can compete on weekends.
“It’s been a tremendous effort by everyone involved and now comes the fun part of getting the new car to the circuit and dialling in all the elements. Last season was a long one but I’m confident that 2022 will see us back in the mix with the VF-22.”
Haas technical director Simone Resta said the VF-22 car was “probably the most complex project the team has dealt with to date” in F1.
“It’s a completely new set of regulations and this season we’ve brought in a new team to manage the creation of the VF-22,” Resta said. “Not everyone is new but a good chunk of people have joined with a revised structure now in place. I consider this as a great success in the process.
“We’re still early in the project and going through a transitional season of working together on a car for a full year, but if we look back where we started, this team is already a success.”
Official website:
https://www.haasf1team.com/news/uralkali-haas-f1-team-showcases-vf-22
Social media:
https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/1489554296995733505?cxt=HHwWgoCzobfv-qspAAAA
https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/1489574014200782856?cxt=HHwWkIC58Y_rg6wpAAAA
https://twitter.com/SchumacherMick/status/1489562281621045251?cxt=HHwWhoC-rZnA_qspAAAA
News stories:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.analysis-what-haas-vf-22-can-teach-us-about-how-teams-have-approached-the.5IEv7TkLUJGOXmvDzMYTX6.html
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/12532494/formula-1-in-2022-haas-kickstart-new-era-with-first-look-at-2022-car-and-livery
https://the-race.com/formula-1/real-haas-will-look-marginally-different-to-launch-vf-22/
Steiner expecting Schumacher and Mazepin to ‘fight for points’ with all-new Haas VF-22. Formula1.com article.
Anticipation for the 2022 F1 season is reaching fever pitch and Haas only added to that by revealing the tri-coloured livery for their VF-22. Now aiming to recover from a point-less season, Haas’s Team Principal Guenther Steiner shared his aims for drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin – and revealed why he’s “cautiously optimistic” for 2022.
The Kannapolis-headquartered squad have amassed just three points from the last two seasons and have two 22-year-olds at the wheel for the 2022 season in Schumacher and Mazepin. But when asked to convey his expectations for the duo in 2022, Steiner seemed unfazed by what could be construed by some as a lack of experience.
He said: “The expectation is just to be able to fight for points and fight with the other drivers who are in Formula 1. With their rookie year, we were always very open that the expectations were not high but that they had the opportunity to learn and to establish themselves in Formula 1. Now this year, we have to prove that we are on the right track with the drivers.”
Another intriguing factor in Haas’s recent history is the fact that they declined to develop their 2021 car in order to maximise development for their 2022 car. As a result, Schumacher and Mazepin finished last of the full-time drivers in the 2021 standings and the team did too – Haas ending up without any points to their name for the first time.
Fans of the team will be hoping there’s a chance for Haas to return to the midfield and perhaps even emulate the strong results of their 2018 campaign, which saw them pick up 93 points and finish fifth overall.
“What I see is we have had good cars, for example in ’18; even in ’16 and ’17 for a new team we had pretty good cars, you know? So, I just see similarities to that time,” said Steiner.
The Haas chief explained that from witnessing how Technical Director Simone Resta and his team worked over 2021, he’s been imbued with quiet confidence for the season ahead.
“That is the only thing I can judge the performance [on], what I expect from the car, and therefore I always say I’m cautiously optimistic because I see how Simone and his group developed the car over the last year, how hard they worked on it. And the results from the wind tunnel, the improvements they do each session… that makes me cautiously optimistic.
“But to say ‘we will be in the midfield’ – I don’t know,” added the Haas boss.
“I obviously have faith we will be there but I don’t know what the other ones are doing, so we have to wait a little bit longer. But I am pretty happy [with] what happened last year because we had two tough years. But what kept me going was actually what the people did in ’21 back in the design office and in the aero group,” he concluded.