Haas Retains Grosjean & Magnussen For 2019

HAAS CONFIRMS ROMAIN GROSJEAN AND KEVIN MAGNUSSEN FOR 2019

    Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will remain at Haas for the 2019 Formula 1 championship.

    The American team will retain the same driver pairing for the third consecutive year and is the seventh team to confirm its line-up for the upcoming season.

    Team boss Guenther Steiner believes the driver consistency will help the team continue to develop as it heads into its fourth season in F1.

    “From the very beginning, we needed experienced drievrs to hasten the development of our car and our team, and we have two very good and experienced drievrs in Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen,” he said.

    “We’ve improved drastically from last year to this year, so retaining both drivers was a pretty easy decision.

    I think the 100-point barrier should be and will be broken, and we’ll do it with Romain and Kevin. Both drivers push each other to be better and their collective feedback allows us to be better.

    It’s not a coincidence that in their second year as team-mates Haas F1 Team is having its best year. By keeping Romain and Kevin together we aim to do even better next year.”

    Haas has regularly been best of the rest so far this season, with Magnussen lying seventh in the drivers’ championship behind the Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes drivers. Grosjean, who endured a string of retirements early in the season, lies 14th overall, while Haas is currently fifth in the teams’ championship.

    “It’s impressive to see what this team has accomplished in such a relatively short time, and for someone who has been here since the very beginning, I take a lot of pride in the time, effort and sacrifice we’ve all put forth to make Haas F2 team so competitive,” Grosjean said.

    “I’m very happy to continue with Haas F1 team and represent Haas Automation and all our partners. Gene Haas has built something very special – something we can make even better – and it’s an honour to be a part of it.”

    Magnussen added: “I’ve never been in a better situation than the one I’m in here at Haas. This is a team filled with racers and we’re all striving for the same thing.

    There’s no bureaucracy and everything is straightforward. Gene Haas is all about efficiency and he and Guenther Steiner have created a very efficient environment that gets the best from its people.

    We all believe in each other and that’s why we’ve achieved as much as we have.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Haas Reveals 2018 Car

(Image credit to: Haas Ferrari F1 Team)

    Haas Formula 1 team has become the first to pull the covers off its 2018 challenger.

    The team revealed images of their third F1 car, the VF-18, which it describes as a refinement of its 2017 car.

    With no major changes in regulations, much of the car appears similar to that of last year’s entry, with the most notable exceptions being the inclusion of the halo head protection devise and the absence of the shark fin and T-wing aero devices.

    “The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the halo,” said team principal Guenther Steiner. “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 centre of gravity simply because of the halo’s position. But everyone is in the same boat.

    The regulations stayed pretty stable between 2017 and 2018, so the VF-18 is an evolution of our car from last year. It’s less about reinvention and more about refinement. You see elements we had from last year on the car this year.

    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. 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.”

    Haas finished eighth in last year’s constructors’ championship, just six points behind Toro Rosso and 10 points behind Renault. Drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, who continue at the team in 2018, finished 13th and 14th in the drivers’ championship.

    Once again, the team will be using parts provided by Ferrari, who also supply the team with engines. Team founder Gene Haas says the team will use Ferrari as a bench mark going into its third season in F1.

    “It’s no secret we use a lot of Ferrari equipment, so we’re using them as our baseline,” he said. “We need to be within a half-second of the Ferraris in order for us to be competitive.

    We weren’t last year. I would say we were a second to a second-and-a-half slower than the Ferraris. Overall, we were maybe two seconds off the pole qualifiers, so we need to knock a second off that if we really want to be competitive.

    We’ve eliminated a lot of variables where we knew we were weak, and we knew where we needed to focus. We need to be able to go to the majority of the races and put the car don on the track and be fast. We’ve focused on what it’s going to take to get the cars to be consistent and to close that gap between the top cars.”

    Last year, Haas had at least one car retire from seven of the 20 races, including a double retirement in Australia at the start of the year.

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Haas Retains Magnussen And Grosjean

HAAS RETAINS MAGNUSSEN AND GROSJEAN FOR 2018

    Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will remain at Haas Formula 1 team for the 2018 season.

    The American team is hoping driver continuity, combined with car and engine continuity, will allow it to continue to develop in its third year in F1.

    “We will run with the same drivers that we have this year again next year. That is a given,” team boss Gene Haas told F1.com.

    “And given the other continuity aspects, we should be better racers next season.”

    Grosjean moved to Haas when the team in 2014 joined F1, racing along with Esteban Gutierrez. He took 29 points over the course of the season, earning all of Haas’ points.

    At the start of the year, Kevin Magnussen replaced Gutierrez and earned points in only his second race with the team.

    Haas said the switch was the right decision, but doesn’t believe Gutierrez was a bad driver.

    “He was as fast as Romain in practice, but I think that Kevin has the edge in terms of race experience,” he said.

    “He can score points and that was key for bringing him on board. Kevin can grab points and Romain can too.”

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Haas Reveals 2017 Car

HAAS REVEALS 2017 CAR

    Haas have launched the American team’s second Formula One challenger.

    After a fairly successful 2016, the team is aiming to build on what they learned in their debut season, but the VF-17 is vastly different from its predecessor.

    “I think the pedal box is the same, but all the rest is very different from last year’s car,” said team principal Guenther Steiner. “You always try to make a faster car, which is normally a lighter car. Now we can put on more ballast and get better weight distribution. The aero is completely new, as are the tyres, so we need to have some built in adjustability.”

    The VF-17 features a geometric style shark fin and winglets on the side.

    Livery wise, the new car keeps the Haas brand colours – red, grey, and black – and still lacks sponsors.

    The car has already made its on track debut when it completed a shake down and filming session yesterday, but it will be driven in anger for the first time in next week’s test session.

    Romain Grosjean, who continues at the team for a second season, and new comer Kevin Magnussen will split duties over the four days.

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Magnussen Confirmed At Haas For 2017

MAGNUSSEN JOINS HAAS FOR 2017 SEASON

    Danish driver, Kevin Magnussen has been confirmed at American team, Haas for next season, alongside French Driver, Romain Grosjean. The news came only a day after Esteban Gutierrez announced his departure from the Ferrari-powered team.

    Kevin Magnussen spent his first season in F1 at McLaren, after winning the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Championship with team DAMS. Magnussen's contract with McLaren as one of their drivers was not renewed in 2015 and he spent the season as a reserve/test driver instead. He was then released from his McLaren contract altogether before signing with Renault for the current 2016 season. 

    Magnussen has gathered a total of 7 points for Renault this season and currently stands 16th in the Drivers Championship.

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Gutierrez Confirms Departure From Haas

GUTIERREZ PARTS WAYS WITH HAAS F1 TEAM

    As the driver market continues to fall into place for the 2017 season, another confirmation has been made with Esteban Gutierrez announcing that he will not be racing for American Team, Haas.

    The 25-Year-Old driver from Monterrey, Mexico, first entered Formula 1 in 2013 when he was chosen to be the replacement for Sergio Perez, who was entering his 3rd season with then-titled Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes. Gutierrez raced for 2 years at Sauber before he left the team and joined Ferrari in 2015 as their reserve/test driver. Gutierrez came back to racing this year when Haas signed him and Romain Grosjean.

    Gutierrez announced his departure via twitter with the following message: 

In English: "Dear friends, I want to share with you that I will no longer be with Haas F1 Team for next season. I want to thank all the team and staff, specially Gene Haas for his opportunity to work with them. I wish them all the best. There are two races left, which I intend to enjoy to the fullest and as always, I'll give my best. Special thanks to all my fans and supporters, you will always have a place in my heart. I hope to shortly share my plans for the future. Warm regards!"

En Espanol: "Queridos amigos, quiero compartirles que no seguire con Haas F1 Team para la proxima temporada. Quiero agradecer a todo el equipo, en especial a Gene Haas por esta oportunidad de trabajar con ellos. Les deseo mucho exito. Quedan dos carreras, en las cuales disfrutare cada momento y seguire luchando al maximo. Agradezco profundamente a todos los que me siguen y apoyan, todos ustedes siempre estan en mi corazon. Espero muy pronto poder compartirles mis planes para el futuro. Un fuerte abrazo!"

    Kevin Magnussen is the current favorite to take the now-vacant Haas seat but nothing has been confirmed yet.

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “It was a great atmosphere (last year). During the driver parade, I don’t think I’d ever seen such a big crowd than in the last part of the circuit at the stadium section. It was an awesome race with a lot of fans.

(The track is great fun to drive with huge straights and big braking – everything that I like. Every time we go to a track, it’s a brand-new track to us as a team. Even when we’re coming from a strong race, the next one could be difficult. I always prefer not to have any expectations and see how it goes. With Mexico’s long straight line, that could be to our advantage.

I wasn’t really happy with the race in Mexico last year. I managed to get into the top-10, but I thought with the performance we could have done better. We were struggling with the brakes because of the altitude, which cost us a little bit. But yes, it was a great end to the season and I managed to score points in the last three races. I’m hoping for the same this year.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “It’s a very special week for my whole career. It’s probably one of the best two weeks of my career because it represents so much to racing, to motorsports in Mexico in general, and to me. It’s a kind of connection where I can share my passion for racing and what I do with all Mexicans. I feel grateful for their support. Last year was great. I could live the event from a different perspective, but now it will be even better when I will be racing there. I’m very excited to enjoy that.

It will be important to do the best we can with our car. It’s a track we believe can suit the style of our car, and we’re hoping that will be the case. It’s going to be important to have as much track time as possible to adapt to the circuit.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Singapore GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “It’s pretty cool. Everyone loves it, especially the VIPs, who then go partying after the race. It’s a special one, for sure. It’s a race everyone waits for. It’s a tricky track, and you’re racing at night downtown when it’s very hot and humid, so there are a lot of factors that make it exciting. It’s actually easier at night because the lights never change. The luminosity is always the same. You stick with the same visor, and driving at those speeds in those conditions is absolutely fine.

There are a few corners where you can actually run wide and go over the kerbs. I think last year they removed some. So, yes, most of the time there are walls in close proximity - you pretty much have to hold your breath and hope for the best, especially when you’re pushing in qualifying, as you run so close to the walls - but there are a few occasions on the track when you can use a bit more of the width than was perhaps first designed. Especially between Turns 3 and 4, and on the long straight, it’s very bumpy. You really want to find the right line there. When you make an overtaking move there, you’ve really got to be sure you’ve got the car with you as it’s very tricky. To be honest, every corner is tricky.

It can be very physical. All week we never see the sunlight, so that takes a bit of energy away. Then it’s humid, it’s hot and it’s always a long race. We usually reach the two-hour limit. It’s very, very demanding. I remember back in 2013, I lost four kilos (nine pounds) of water during the race, which is quite a lot. Mentally it’s very difficult, as much as it is physical. It’s clearly one of the races where you need to be at your fittest in the season. We (drivers) love a challenge. That’s why we race in Formula One and that’s why we drive these cars and race at over 300 km/h (186 mph). We love it.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “I like very much the first section - Turns 1, 2, 3 and 4. You arrive very quick from the straight, so it’s a sequence of corners which makes it very interesting. I also like the last part where you have a lot of chicanes where you can use the kerbs. It’s a lot of corners in a very short period of time, so it’s very physical. The overtaking opportunities are on corner 1, corner 8, which is after the long straight, then after the hairpin, as well. There are two or three places which are pretty good for overtaking, even though it’s a street circuit and usually street circuits are a bit more difficult for that. The first time I came there was in GP2 and I went straight into practice without knowing much about it. There used to be a very special corner, a triple chicane, which now has been changed, so that part and that section will be new to me. I’m looking forward to getting to know it.”

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Italian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “It’s the characteristics of the track (that allow you to reach such high speeds), primarily a long straight line with a chicane followed by another long straight line. Everyone goes for low down force levels. That’s where we go fast in a straight line. It’s a great track - a temple of speed.

(Overtaking is) not as straightforward as a drag race. You still lose down force when you follow another car out of the low-speed corners. It’s one of those races where you can have a lot of overtaking, a lot of action. It’s always interesting to see how it plays out with the big slipstreams.”

I’m very much looking forward to racing there again. The atmosphere is crazy in Monza. The Tifosi, the fans - they’re just great. The track is in the middle of a park. It’s like nowhere else. There are so many people coming and watching, cheering for the drivers and, of course, for Ferrari. The atmosphere is electric. I love it.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “(Monza’s) interesting because you have a lot of high-speed sections, mainly straight-line sections with very low down force, and this is directly affecting the braking of the slow-speed corners. When you have a long period of time when you’re braking, obviously the down force is important, but the fact that you get very low down force on this track, you need to cope with the car in different ways and you need to adapt the setup for that.

(The overtaking opportunities are) basically, everywhere. You have Turn 1 and you have Turn 4, as well as before the Parabolica. It’s a track that provides a lot of overtaking. It’s one of the classics. The people, the atmosphere, the Italians, Ferrari fans, and we’re using Ferrari engines, so it’s great to come there and enjoy nice support from the Italians, especially for me being part of Ferrari last year directly as a third driver put me very close to Italy.

I won a few championships there - two championships actually, Formula BMW and GP3. I remember exactly how it was. It was actually with a qualifying lap because it was enough to get one point from getting the pole position and that was enough for me to win the championship, so it was a very special moment. It comes always from Monza - a special place for me to get there and get that feeling. My favourite part of Monza is probably the Ascari corner. It’s a triple chicane, very fast turning in, very late braking. It’s actually one of my favourite corners of the calendar.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Belgian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - "It’s just a great track. There are very high-speed corners and there are a lot of turns, different types, some high speed, some low - just a good variety overall. It gives you a good feeling to drive. I can’t choose just one part and say it’s my favourite. The whole circuit just comes together nicely.

The first lap you go through (Eau Rouge and Raidillon) flat out, you feel sick, like you’re on a rollercoaster because it goes up and down. You’re thinking, will I make that for the race? But, once you’ve done it once, it’s all OK and you just enjoy the G-forces. (Eau Rouge is) certainly a corner where you don’t want to have a mistake. Qualifying in clean air is certainly quite good. On the other hand, if you get a big tow, you can have a massive advantage going into turn five. There’s a bit of an argument for both philosophies there.You always see different approaches at Spa. Either you’re fast in sector one and sector three, which are the high-speed sectors, or you’re fast in sector two, which has more of the corners. Both work pretty well, so it’s a matter of how you want to approach the race.

We had a good car in Belgium last year. I had qualified fourth, but started ninth due to a gearbox penalty. We had a good strategy and good timing with a safety car, too. I managed to overtake a few cars and get on the podium. Honestly, it was one of those weekends where everything just goes to plan.It was great for all the guys, and for myself. We had a perfect weekend on the track. For everyone involved, it was a very good feeling. I guess it was kind of the same feeling as scoring the first points for Haas earlier this season. I (also) won the GP2 title there in 2011. That was a great year.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “I think (the unpredictability of the weather at Spa means) you need to make quick decisions throughout the weekend, especially during the race as it’s a way to gain an advantage. Making a wrong decision can be very detrimental, but that’s what’s special about Spa. It’s a very long track and it can sometimes only rain on one part of the track, on one or two corners, and if you’re on slicks you just need to deal with it. Ultimately, you only want to come in for full wets if it’s raining throughout. You really have to be ready and open minded during the weekend.

It’s a track that has a lot of corners, as well as being a very long track where you can gain a lot of time if you do everything properly and if you’re consistent throughout the lap. This also depends on how much down force you have on the car as the circuit has a lot of high-speed and fluid corners, which are important factors.

It’s a track where you have to compromise a lot because you don’t want to lose too much speed on the straight and you don’t want to lose too much down force in the corners. It’s important to have an efficient car to find the best compromise between aero and the mechanical set up.

(Eau Rouge and Raidillon) are usually flat out. It’s an amazing feeling approaching Eau Rouge. It goes up and you can feel the compression at the beginning of the corner and as the car is moving though the corner. As you go uphill, sometimes the car is jumping on the curb at high speed. It’s amazing. It’s difficult to describe it because you have to experience it.

Even in the race sometimes you have to be flat out if you are running behind someone you want to overtake. It’s a corner you don’t require much down force to make it flat out. Usually, we reduce the down force at Spa because of the long straights and you want to have the least drag possible in those areas. It’s a compromise of how much down force you set. Even with a low configuration of down force, Eau Rouge becomes quite challenging, but usually very nice if you can take it flat out. I would say Eau Rouge (is my favourite part of Spa). It’s a great corner. It’s iconic and it’s great to drive.

I’ve had a few incredible races in the wet at Spa. One of the most fun races I’ve had was starting from the back after being disqualified. I manage to overtake my way up the grid but, unfortunately, at the end I was penalized again by overtaking someone on the very last lap when the safety car was out. It’s a great memory of Spa and it’s a track I always enjoy. Hopefully this year will be just as enjoyable and we’ll do our best to make it a successful weekend.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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German GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “I’d like us to go into the break with a strong final race. It’s always good to get a morale boost before the shutdown. Everyone can reflect on what we’ve done and what we can do better. It’s important for everyone to get a rest. It’s a long season and we’re only just over halfway through at the break. The big flyaway races come after that. We’ve had an amazing first half of the season and I’m sure we can do more in the second half. For that, we really need to keep working, keep our focus and take some rest whenever we can.

Hockenheim is definitely a lot about straight-line speed, braking and traction out of the corners. When you get good traction through the low-speed corners, you have a much better straight-line speed. You’ve got the stadium part, which is very narrow as well. It’s a good balance between having top speeds and fuel efficiency, and traction and braking being suitable.

It’s always great to visit somewhere with good memories. I won at the circuit in Formula Three, and in Formula Renault 1.6. I won there in the GP2 Series until a post-race penalty dropped me to second. Every year is different though. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. The important thing is to make it count now.

The entry into the stadium section is definitely my favourite part of the Hockenheimring. It’s amazing. You’re coming in from really fast corners, then you just turn into a very narrow section of the track. It’s fun.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “It’s one of my favourite tracks. It’s one of the first I drove in Europe when I came to race Formula BMW in 2008. It’s a pretty special place for me. There are some corners that I really love about it - definitely the entry to the stadium. It’s a very high-speed corner, and you enter with a lot of speed and no margin of mistake. You have the gravel straight away and then you have a very narrow track, and it arrives into the banked corner, which is really interesting.

I want the team to be going into the summer break in good shape with a positive race at Hockenheim. I feel it will be an important occasion for every team member to also recharge their batteries because it has been quite a nonstop season for us right from the beginning. It will be an important break. Everyone can come back strong and we can continue our way through the season.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Hungarian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM 

Romain Grosjean - “I’ve always had a good feeling in Hungary. I’ve always liked the track. I like sector two, the flowing section of the track, which is quite nice. They’ve resurfaced it this year, so we’ll see how it goes. It used to be very bumpy. It’s a low-speed circuit. How the car handles is important. I’ve been lucky to have had cars that have performed well there over the years.

It can get very hot in Budapest. It’s not an easy race, but on the other hand, there’s not many high-speed corners on the track, so it’s more about keeping your focus and concentration all through the race. Regardless, we’re always keeping fit to prepare ourselves. It’s very difficult to overtake at the Hungaroring. To be fair, I made one of the best overtakes of my life there in 2013, outside of turn four, on Felipe Massa. I got a drive-through penalty for that one for having four wheels off the track. That didn’t matter to me as it was one of my most beautiful overtaking moves ever.

It’s going to be our number one priority to get the tyre to work for us and analyse the degradation, which can be high on some compounds. If we get the grip, we’ll get the lap time. Then we can do more pit stops and have more fun.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “Budapest is a track where the temperatures are usually very hot and the main characteristic of the tyre is that they get overheated very easily. But I know the car and I am confident in driving the car, so with any kind of conditions or track characteristics you just get used to it very quickly.

The Hungaroring for me is a special track. It’s the first track I tested in Europe back at the end of 2007 when I tested Formula BMW, so it brings me great memories every time I come back there. I have achieved great results, so mainly from that point of view, I’m happy to be back. It is a slow track, but it has also quick corners and a very interesting layout. It’s quite physically demanding because of the fact you have not many chances to have a pause from the driving. You have to be focused all the time because all the corners make it very demanding - mentally and physically. But I like that challenge. It’s a nice track and I really look forward to the experience.

I would say turn one is the best (overtaking) opportunity. You come down from the long straight and you have the DRS on, so yeah, it’s approaching turn one. Also the exit of turn one approaching turn two. Those are the two main overtaking opportunities. (Being tough on tyres is) a characteristic of the Hungaroring. The tyres degrade very quickly, so it’s even more important in qualifying to be spot on the first lap and get the maximum out of the new tyres. You don’t have a second chance on this track to put a good lap time on the tyres.

I would say the last corner (is my favourite part of the Hungaroring), which I enjoy a lot, and sector two where you have the chicane and a good series of corners, which makes it very interesting. You cannot miss one apex because if you miss one apex, all of the following corners are affected and quite long. There is also a very nice, fast corner - Turn 11. I love it.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Austrian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - "It's a funny place to race being in the middle of the mountains. The circuit is very short. The lap time is almost like Monaco. There are some overtaking opportunities. The track, in general, has two very different parts. I quite like the middle sector. There are medium- to high-speed corners. You've got turn one and turn two, which are very similar. Both are 90-degree turns with big braking and long, straight lines. You've then got the second part which is more flowing.

You start with big braking into turn one, a 90-degree corner. It's very important to go early on the power. There's then a long straight line going up to turn two where you brake very late into the corner, and there's a change of camber. You go flat again after that to turn three. Again, tricky braking there as you're going downhill. Then you've got a double-left corner, medium- to high-speed turns. The last couple of turns are the same as you go up the hill and then down again. It can be pretty tricky, but if you get the grip under the car and a good balance, it can be a lot of fun to drive.

It was a shame about the race in Baku that we had to have the extra pit stop. I think we could have scored points. We were looking pretty good up until that point. Some of the races we're now going to should be better for us. We still need to work on getting the best out of the tires when it's cold. We have some graining issues as well, but we're still a brand new team and we haven't had many options to try different things. We're going in a good direction even though we haven't scored points in a while."

Esteban Gutierrez - "It's quite unique because it's a little bit old school and has a lot of fast corners, which I enjoy a lot. It's a pretty short circuit – not many corners – so the times are pretty tight, and very competitive in qualifying. It's an extra challenge to make everything as perfect as possible, or as close to perfect as possible.

I love the two fast corners to the left on the infield, which makes it very interesting, and also the last part when you enter into a very high-speed corner after the back-straight, followed by a banked corner. It's pretty nice to go through there. The wind makes some effects because you have the trees, which are pretty high, so the wind is flowing in some parts of the circuit in a different way than in others, so it makes it a bit more challenging in that way."

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Monaco GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “Monaco is special to me because it’s kind of my home race. We’re beside France and there’s always a lot of people, a lot of fans. It is, of course, special because of all the glamour because it is Monaco. Everyone knows Monaco and everyone wants to be in Monaco. It’s a very challenging track and a very long weekend with lots of demands, but at the end of the day it’s a very nice show.

It’s pretty difficult to race there. Every city racetrack is complicated. In Monaco, you can’t make any mistakes or you’re straight into the wall. It’s hard to find the right limit of the car. You always have to drive underneath (the limit), unless you’re in qualifying on a very fast lap. It’s very tight there, and it goes very fast between the walls. It’s a great challenge.

It’s almost impossible to pass in Monaco, unless you take big risks, and in that case you may spend some hours with the stewards afterward. Qualifying is the key. You really want to be on the front row. Once the race starts, you want a good start and try to hang in there. It’s one of those races where the chances to overtake are very low. Something really needs to happen for you to be able to come back if you’re racing at the back.

Yes, it’s a driver’s track, where you need to have confidence in your car. But, on the other hand, if your car doesn’t give you any grip, you won’t have any confidence, and you cannot make any difference. It’s just finding that very fine balance in between the car, the driver pushing it, and the fact that yes, once you’re very confident, you can actually make a bit of a difference.

It’s probably one of the most difficult races to win. Everything needs to be perfect, from the first free practice to the end of the race. You need a good pace in practice and, hopefully, get a top-three place in qualifying. After that you need a good start, a good strategy and a good run to the end. It’s very difficult to get that right.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “It’s simply the most iconic race on the calendar. There’s a lot of history. It’s very special to race in Monaco, in general. It’s a very cool place. It is one of the most demanding circuits, but it’s very special. It’s very important to keep your focus all weekend, which becomes a challenge, as you have many different distractions around. It’s a very intense event because it’s small, everything’s compressed. It’s the most difficult track to overtake. Turn one is an opportunity, and also going out of the tunnel when you brake for the low-speed chicane. Those two places are the most viable for overtaking.

The car never stops being a factor, but it is true that the driver can have a lot of influence because it’s a track that is very demanding. You can make a lot of difference with different driving styles, and by having the confidence in your car in order to push and get the maximum out of what you have. I love turn one, and also turns three and four up at the casino. That part is really special. I like the tunnel and the swimming pool complex, too.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Quotes belong to Drivers 

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “I think there are a few more parts coming in China and then a few more after that. I’m very much looking forward to trying the first updates to see if they’re working as they should. We’re not a hundred percent with the car yet, so there are still a few things we can do without adding the updates. Again, in China, we have some aggressive tire options, so hopefully they will work as well as they did in Bahrain.

Shanghai is a fun track. The first corner is probably the best known one. It’s a very long, right-hand turn corner. This circuit is very hard on the front tires. There’s also the very long back straight with big braking at the end. It’ll be a good test for us to see, on a very different track layout, if we’re as good as we were in Bahrain.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “We still need to manage our expectations because our car at the moment has reacted pretty well in Melbourne and in Bahrain, but we need to learn how it will react now in China. I think China will give us a good indication of how the season will be, and also the fact that all the other teams are pushing really hard to develop their car during the season. And as the season advances, it will get more and more competitive, so we need to be ready for that. We can still extract more speed and performance from our car, and China gives us an opportunity to do just that.

Shanghai is a very front-limited track, which puts a lot of front load into the tires. Turn 1 is very fast and a very long corner - one which is very different to other corners of the season. It’s quite iconic to Shanghai. You arrive full speed, and when you enter into the corner, you have to wait very long into Turn 2. You have Turn 3, which has a very long exit, and it’s quite tricky on traction as you put a lot of lateral on the exit. You go through Turns 4 and 5, which is a very high-speed section, and then into Turn 6 and 7, one of my favourite parts of the track. You really come into Turn 6 with full speed and then change direction into Turn 7. You have to prepare for Turns 8 and 9 because this sequence is very important not to lose the rhythm. Then getting into Turn 10, it’s a small 90-degree corner which exits to a very, very long straight into Turn 11, which is the beginning of a very long corner. You go from very low speed to increasing the speed through the corner, and it’s a part of the circuit where it’s easy to hurt the front tyres. It’s an important part of the circuit when it comes to the car’s race setup. Then one of the longest straights of the season is the back straight, were you’re at maximum speed. You arrive into a very high-braking corner - the hairpin Turn 14. Then the last corner is 90 degrees - a medium-speed corner - which is quite tricky on the exit because you have the curb which you can use quite a lot but, obviously, it has its limits. You’re always trying to maximize the track. It’s quite challenging.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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Quotes belong to Drivers 

Haas Launch 2016 Car

The first American team to run in Formula One in 30 years has broken cover with the big reveal of it’s first racecar on social media.

Haas F1’s VF-16 car shares it’s livery colours with those of Haas’ cars in other series, but there’s no doubt where the machine will be racing.

Following in the style of Formula One, the VF-16 will, according to Haas, showcase the company’s “commitment to technology and innovation”.

“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 Guenther Steiner, Team Principal. “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.”

The rear end of the car was dictated by the power unit, which will be provided to Haas by their technical partner, Ferrari.

The goal in Haas’ maiden year will be to finish races and score points.

“We need to go out there and show that we can do the job,” said Steiner. “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.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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