Haas has become the third F1 team to shakedown its 2023 car which has been described as “a massive rework” by technical director Simone Resta.
Following on from the 100km ‘tests’ undertaken by Alfa Romeo and Red Bull in Barcelona and at Silverstone respectively, Haas also rolled out its VF-23 at the Northamptonshire venue.
It was the first opportunity to cast an eye over the car given a reveal at the start of February was livery only, serving as a highlight for new title sponsor Moneygram.
From the limited images available, at first glance, it appears as if the nose has been trimmed on the underside, whilst the endplates have been marginally redesigned.
The key element is the sidepod, which is now similar in style to those on last year’s Ferrari, whilst the shape of the cooling inlet is akin to Red Bull’s title-winning RB18.
Addressing the main areas of focus and the updates compared to the VF-22, Resta was slightly guarded. He said: “We’re looking at all main areas of intervention from 2022 to 2023.
“We try to save a few of the components on last season’s car but try to improve the aerodynamic performance of the car, improve the weight of the component and improve the quality of the component.
“There has been a massive rework of the car – some of the components don’t look radically different – it’s probably more a development of the 2022 car but there is a complete rework of the car involving many, many components.”
Haas suggest more than one upgrade this season
At least Haas is in a better position to upgrade its car over the course of this season compared to last year.
Following a solid start to the campaign as the team embraced the new aerodynamic regulations, Haas just managed to hold on to eighth place in the constructors’ championship, off the back of delivering just one upgrade.
For this year, the additional money from that eighth place, in tandem with its title sponsor and other new partners means Haas will hit the budget cap for the first time.
Looking ahead as to what can be expected over the course of the campaign, Resta added: “On upgrades, I think it’s probably one of the most ‘fashionable’ arguments in Formula 1 and I won’t spoil the surprise for anyone.
“For sure, we’ll have a stronger programme of upgrades compared to last year and we are still working on that, we are at the very beginning.
“We’ve just defined the launch car, so the team is working on it, we have our roadmap, but it’s very early to say exactly what we’ll do and when.”
You can watch the VF-23 roll out of the garage below, with Kevin Magnussen at the wheel.
The wait is over! The #VF23 is on track for the first time 🙌#HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/btFfYp4RuY
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) February 11, 2023
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