Photo: Haas F1 Team / Facebook
During its first six years in Formula 1, Haas went from being a middle-of-the-pack team right out the gate to a backmarker that couldn’t grab a single championship point even if the entire grid somehow retired ahead of them.
The Ferrari-powered American-owned outfit - which by the way now features a Russian title sponsor and sneaky Russian-themed livery (no way those are “American” red, white and blue hues) - entered the sport in 2016 and has amassed a total of 200 points in 122 race starts.
With Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez behind the wheel, the team made a strong and immediate impression, literally, as Grosjean finished P6 at the opening Australian Grand Prix in 2016, securing a quick 8 points for the team. The Frenchman followed that performance with a P5 result in Bahrain, leading the team to an eighth-place finish in the Constructors Standings, ahead of Renault, Sauber and MRT.
The next year, they were again eighth best, but in 2018, they finished fifth, ahead of both McLaren and Force India. Safe to say, it’s been an uphill battle ever since, as the team hasn’t scored a single championship point in the last 12 months. In 2020, they secured just 3 points, so performance-wise, they clearly went from bad to worse.
However, what would you say if I told you that it was all part of a plan? After 2020, the team decided against developing its car for 2021 and put all their resources into the 2022 car, which adheres to an entirely new set of aerodynamic regulations.
Getting a head start from a development standpoint can be huge for a Formula 1 team, especially since a bunch of rival outfits were “forced” to develop 2021 cars as this season went along. On paper, Haas has done less for its 2021 car than any other team for their respective machines, including other backmarkers such as Williams and Alfa Romeo.
This raises the question: how far could Haas go in 2022 if they came in straight away with a competitive advantage? If I had to guess, I’d say the best-case scenario is somewhere in the midfield – maybe they could leapfrog Alfa Romeo, Williams, Aston Martin and AlphaTauri too. Anything beyond that feels like a stretch, but you never know.
A more cynical take would have them bottoming out again, but I see no reason why they really couldn’t take the fight to Alfa Romeo and Williams, two teams that combined for just 36 points in the 2021 season.
With Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez behind the wheel, the team made a strong and immediate impression, literally, as Grosjean finished P6 at the opening Australian Grand Prix in 2016, securing a quick 8 points for the team. The Frenchman followed that performance with a P5 result in Bahrain, leading the team to an eighth-place finish in the Constructors Standings, ahead of Renault, Sauber and MRT.
The next year, they were again eighth best, but in 2018, they finished fifth, ahead of both McLaren and Force India. Safe to say, it’s been an uphill battle ever since, as the team hasn’t scored a single championship point in the last 12 months. In 2020, they secured just 3 points, so performance-wise, they clearly went from bad to worse.
However, what would you say if I told you that it was all part of a plan? After 2020, the team decided against developing its car for 2021 and put all their resources into the 2022 car, which adheres to an entirely new set of aerodynamic regulations.
Getting a head start from a development standpoint can be huge for a Formula 1 team, especially since a bunch of rival outfits were “forced” to develop 2021 cars as this season went along. On paper, Haas has done less for its 2021 car than any other team for their respective machines, including other backmarkers such as Williams and Alfa Romeo.
This raises the question: how far could Haas go in 2022 if they came in straight away with a competitive advantage? If I had to guess, I’d say the best-case scenario is somewhere in the midfield – maybe they could leapfrog Alfa Romeo, Williams, Aston Martin and AlphaTauri too. Anything beyond that feels like a stretch, but you never know.
A more cynical take would have them bottoming out again, but I see no reason why they really couldn’t take the fight to Alfa Romeo and Williams, two teams that combined for just 36 points in the 2021 season.
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