The first Formula 1 car to be designed and built by the Haas F1 Team has been unveiled to the world on Sunday, and has completed its first installation lap around the Circuit de Catalunya.
The VF-16, which will be driven by Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez in 2016 and will be powered by a Ferrari power unit as part of a bigger partnership between team and engine supplier, is the first car to come from the Haas team, the first new F1 team since 2010.
“From an international standpoint, Formula One is the highest echelon of racing, and Haas Automation builds the highest-quality machine tools,” said Team Owner Gene Haas.
“When you hear ‘F1’ you know exactly what it is – a global racing series that showcases the latest technology and attracts the best talent in engineering and design. Haas Automation has an excellent reputation in the United States and I want that reputation to grow worldwide.
“Connecting Haas Automation with F1 in name and in practice is the best way to grow our business and elevate Haas Automation to a premium, global brand.”
Team Principal Guenther Steiner continues to believe Haas can secure points in its debut season and become a competitive outfit in 2016, although he knows the importance of being reliable from the early stages to ensure the team become respected.
“Just as Haas Automation’s products continually evolve, becoming better and more efficient, our methodology behind the VF-16 was to make it the best evolution of a good F1 car,” said Steiner.
“We’re a new team, so we looked at what the successful teams were doing to give us a baseline of the direction we needed to go with our design.
“We have very experienced designers who worked hard to develop all the little things from an aerodynamic perspective that, collectively, add up to a lot. And our technical partner, Ferrari, provided our power unit, and that really defined the rear end of the car and how big it needed to be.
“Our goal with this car is to score points. First, we need to go out there and show that we can do the job, that we can finish races, that we are respected by the fans and other teams in the paddock. Then, we want to score points. That is the ultimate goal.”
