Bad boys on the grid
Whereas Formula One teams frequently had to throw in the towel in 2016 due to the financial pressures of the racing class, Haas' project took off. The American team was already a familiar name across the ocean in NASCAR, but the Formula One World Championship was new territory.
They looked at the failing teams and highlighted the problem. Making all the parts simply cost too much money. The solution? Outsource everything to keep production costs down. The team bought many parts from Ferrari rather than having their own production line. Everything simply had to make way for performance.
Italian Dallara made the chassis, and compatriot Ferrari supplied the power unit to Haas. Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez were the drivers for Haas. The duo put the team on the map right from the start.
From the very first race that Haas appeared on the grid (the 2016 Australian Grand Prix), smaller teams complained about Haas' working methods. Sourcing parts from Ferrari and Dallara gave a racing team little identity and was more like being a sister of a bigger team. Haas quietly got on with what they were doing: scoring points.
Magnussen replaced Gutierrez in 2017 and with the new duo, Haas seemed to slowly improve. Throughout the season, both drivers picked up points, but the end result was the same as the first season: P8 in the constructors' standings.
Best of the rest
In 2018, Haas appeared confident at the start of the Australian GP. Under the watchful eye of team boss Steiner, both drivers managed to secure a fine starting position and Haas seemed to be on their way to double points. Two failed pitstops later, Haas had only two DNFs and a long period of disappointing results from Grosjean began.
Halfway through the season the turnaround finally came and, thanks to Magnussen, Haas had already collected more points than in the entire previous season. They hoped to beat Renault to secure P4 in the Constructors' standings, but it just didn't work out. Nevertheless, the Americans finished fifth in only the team's third year in Formula One.
In 2019, Haas partnered with Rich Energy. The energy drink manufacturer wanted to compete with Red Bull, but Steiner's Formula One team could not get close to Max Verstappen's team. In the end, Rich Energy left Haas before all the races in 2019 were completed.
In 2019, Steiner's team suddenly fell backwards. The speed was still there at times in qualifying, but in the race Grosjean and Magnussen were constantly sinking like a brick. The problem appeared to be in the design of the car and so the team quickly opted to focus on 2020. The car made a step forward, however, it was Ferrari that left something to be desired with the engine. As a result, they were often at the rear in 2020, eventually scoring only three points and finishing ninth. The following year, they fared even worse, failing to score a single point.
Haas in 2024
The decision to focus entirely on 2022 paid off for Haas, who started the season very strongly and no longer had to call themselves the stragglers. Later in the year, the team struggled but managed to stay ahead of AlphaTauri and finish eighth. In 2023, the team didn't build on that, with Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg behind the wheel. They dropped backwards and finished last in the World Championship.
In 2024 Haas will go through the season without Guenther Steiner, who left the team after Gene decided not to renew his contract. Ayao Komatsu is the new team boss, and this marks the start of a brand new era.
Who will drive for Haas in Formula 1?
Nico Hulkenberg will continue at Haas in 2024, along with Kevin Magnussen. The combination of Magnussen and Hulkenberg will be an interesting one, as the two had a fierce altercation in the past after hitting each other on the track. The duo have since made up, but will certainly make for an interesting line-up.
Which engine will Haas use?
As a customer team of Ferrari, Haas F1 drives with the Italian's power unit. In 2024, the American team will appear on the grid with the same specification engine as Ferrari. The American team uses the same fuel supplier as Ferrari, namely Shell.
