Haas VF-19

The Haas VF-19 was a Formula One car designed by Italian manufacturer Dallara for the Haas F1 Team to compete in the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, with additional testing work carried out by Pietro Fittipaldi.[2][3] The VF-19 made its competitive début at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.[4][5]

Haas VF-19
Kevin Magnussen driving the VF-19 during the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorHaas
Designer(s)Rob Taylor (Chief Designer)
Ben Agathangelou (Chief Aerodynamicist)
PredecessorHaas VF-18
SuccessorHaas VF-20
Technical specifications[1]
ChassisCarbon fibre and honeycomb composite
Suspension (front)Independent with push-rod activated torsion springs
Suspension (rear)Independent with pull-rod activated torsion springs
Width2,000 mm (79 in)
EngineFerrari 064 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motorFerrari kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems
TransmissionFerrari semi-automatic gearbox with eight forward and one reverse gears
Weight743 kg (1,638 lb) (including driver)
FuelShell V-Power
LubricantsPennzoil
BrakesAP Racing carbon fibre discs, pads and calipers
TyresPirelli P Zero (dry),
Pirelli Cinturato (wet)
OZ Racing wheels
Competition history
Notable entrantsRich Energy Haas F1 Team
Notable drivers
Debut2019 Australian Grand Prix
Last event2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF.Laps
210001

Design and development

The car was formally launched on 18 February 2019, at the pitlane of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, ahead of pre-season testing,[6] with its livery having launched earlier on 7 February 2019, through online renderings, as well as a physical launch event at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London.[7] The car had its initial shakedown, during a filming day at the circuit, ahead of the initial Pre-season test.[6]

The car was revealed to be in its initial development phase in July 2018, when the team announced that they would end the development cycle of its predecessor, the VF-18, in favour of concentrating work on the car for the next season.[8] Due to the 2019 aerodynamic regulation changes, aimed at improving overtaking on track, the car featured a number of differences, with a wider, simplified front wing, a wider rear wing, and simplified brake ducts, alongside smaller bargeboards.[9]

As with the previous seasons, the team purchased a number of components from its power unit supplier, Ferrari, with the team only manufacturing and designing the monocoque, crash structures and bodywork. This was done to ensure conformity to FIA Sporting and Technical regulations, which explicitly prohibited customer cars, and were necessary to be done in-house by the team, to be considered a constructor under the technical regulations.[10] Similarly, Dallara was once again involved with the team for the chassis and wind tunnel work.

Competition history

Opening rounds

During pre-season testing, the car regularly showed pace, and proved to be the fastest amongst the midfield runners, with the car being noted for its lap times, although it was noted to suffer from reliability related issues, which curtailed running.[11] During the opening race of the season, the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen finished 6th, from 7th on the grid, and was the first of the midfield runners to cross the finish line, seemingly validating the testing times.[12] Romain Grosjean retired from the race, due to a damaged wheel nut, which subsequently failed mid-race following his pitstop.[13]

However, in Bahrain, after both drivers qualified in the top 10, on Sunday, things proved different. While Grosjean saw himself eliminated from the race on lap 16, due to an opening lap collision with Lance Stroll, Magnussen fell backwards during the race, falling from 6th on the starting grid, to 13th at the finish line, with the Dane stating that his car suffered from a lack of straight-line speed during the race, which saw him being unable to defend his position on the long straights of Bahrain.[14] Team Principal Guenther Steiner acknowledged this, while noting that the car seemed to be unable to get the tyres into the optimal tyre temperature.[15]

At China, due to both cars being unable to complete a lap in Q3, both cars qualified P9 and P10.[16] However, in spite of both cars entering Q3 once more, and a new rear wing being introduced, the team continued to struggle with tyre temperatures, with both drivers finishing outside of the top ten, with Grosjean finishing just outside the points in P11, and Magnussen finishing P13, with him noting that the window of optimal tire performance for Haas was very small, and that the issues seemed to stem from the tyres.[17] Team Principal Guenther Steiner later acknowledged this in an interview, saying that the issue of tyres was not present in pre-season testing or Australia, due to the presence of high-speed corners and relatively short straights, which were better for the car, and allowed the car to heat the tyres more effectively, compared to Shanghai and Bahrain.[18]

At Azerbaijan, the team failed to enter Q3 for the first time in the season, with Grosjean being eliminated in Q1, coming in 17th, while Magnussen advanced to Q2, finishing in 14th. However, Magnussen would start 12th and Grosjean 14th, due to 15th-placed qualifier Pierre Gasly starting from the pit lane due to a weighbridge infringement, while eighth-placed qualifier Antonio Giovinazzi was issued a 10-position grid penalty for the fitting of a new set of Control Electronics[19], and Kimi Räikkönen was excluded from qualifying due to his car failing a front wing deflection test.[20] Magnussen would ultimately finish the race 13th, while Grosjean retired, following a brake issue.[21]

Kevin Magnussen driving the German GP specification of the car; Magnussen would run with an altered version of this package until the Russian Grand Prix.

For the Spanish Grand Prix, Haas brought a new update package, with only Grosjean running the update on Friday, as the team sought to evaluate the update and ensure that the update was working as planned, and to avoid confusion over the impact of the new parts on the tyre issues.[22] After the updated car of Grosjean demonstrated strong pace during practice, it was later applied to the sister car of Magnussen[23]. With the new update applied, both cars managed to re-enter Q3, with Grosjean finishing Q3 in 7th, and Magnussen in 8th.[24] During the race, the cars would finish 7th and 10th, with the team scoring its first double points finish for the team, while Grosjean would score his first point of the season in 10th.[25] This result however, was overshadowed by a 2 mid race clashes between the drivers, which saw Magnussen force Grosjean wide at turn two, and into the asphalt run-off, causing him to lose positions dropping from 7th to 10th.[26]

Developmental issues

Throughout the season thus far, the team has struggled to get to grips with the new Pirelli tyres which were introduced for the 2019 Season, even after a major upgrade package was introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix.[27] A second upgrade package was also introduced at the 2019 Canadian Grand Prix.[28] In Spite of the upgrades however, the car still struggled to work consistently, with the car regularly showing pace during Qualifying, but displaying abysmal performance during the race, as illustrated by Magnussen qualifying 5th in Austria, and starting from 10th but finishing the race in 19th, behind the Williams of George Russell, who had started from the back of the grid, in the pitlane.[29]

Subsequently, at the British Grand Prix, the car of Grosjean was reverted to its original Melbourne specification to determine if the upgrades had failed.[30] However, during the race, both drivers clashed at Aintree, with both drivers receiving punctures, and subsequently both cars were retired due to the accident damage, resulting in the team losing an opportunity to compare car specifications.[31] Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner later declared the car as being the strangest he had worked with, saying that even as the championship reached its mid-point, the team was still struggling to understand the car, with the split-specification tests proving inconclusive thus far.[32] The tyre struggles, and tendency for inconsistent performance on the car have also been said to have an impact on the design choices for team's challenger for the 2020 season.[33]

Prior to the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, Haas announced that the split-specification experiment would cease, with the team deciding to equip both drivers with a revision of the package that was introduced on Magnussen's car in Germany, and later used in Hungary.[34] However, at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix following a data mismatch during Friday practice, the team elected to revert Grosjean to a hybrid Melbourne specification package, with the floor, bargeboards and rear wing being from the first race, while the Front Wing was left unchanged.[35]

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Engine Tyres Drivers Grands Prix Points WCC
AUS BHR CHN AZE ESP MON CAN FRA AUT GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN RUS JPN MEX USA BRA ABU
2019 Haas F1 Team[lower-alpha 1] Ferrari P Romain Grosjean Ret Ret 11 Ret 10 10 14 Ret 16 Ret 7 Ret 13 16 11 Ret 13 17 15 13 15 28 9th
Kevin Magnussen 6 13 13 13 7 14 17 17 19 Ret 8 13 12 Ret 17F 9 15 15 18† 11 14

† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the winner's race distance.

Notes
  1. Haas entered rounds 1–14 as "Rich Energy Haas F1 Team".

References
  1. "Haas F1 Team's 2019 Challenger: The VF-19". Haas F1 Team. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  2. Mitchell, Scott (15 February 2019). "Pietro Fittipaldi to drive '19 Haas F1 car at first pre-season test". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  3. "2019 FIA Formula One World Championship Entry List". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  4. "Haas unveils new livery with first 2019 car reveal". motorsport.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. "Rich Energy Haas F1 Team reveals new livery". racefans.net. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  6. Collantine, Keith. "Haas VF-19 Presented in Spain". Racefans.net.
  7. "Take a closer look at the new Haas VF - 19". PlanetF1. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  8. Osten, Phillip van (2018-08-19). "Haas to halt current development as focus switches to 2019 car". F1i.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  9. Editor, Gemma Hatton-Deputy. "Haas VF-19". Racecar Engineering. Retrieved 2019-07-19.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  10. Scarborough, Craig (2019-02-09). "Technical overview of Haas VF19 challenger". Motorsport Technology. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  11. "Testing analysis: Ranking the midfield". ESPN.com. 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  12. Andrew Lewin (2019-03-17). "Haas: 'Mixed emotions' despite best-of-the-rest for Magnussen". F1i.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  13. "Pitstop problem is deja vu for Grosjean in Australia". Reuters. 2019-03-17. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  14. Osten, Phillip van (2019-04-01). "Haas at a loss to explain depressed race pace in Bahrain". F1i.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  15. Noble, Khodr Rawi and Jonathan. "Haas F1 boss Steiner 'amazed' by 'overnight' loss of Bahrain GP pace". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  16. Cooper, Adam. "Haas explains its 'play with fire' failed Chinese GP Q3 strategy". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  17. "Haas F1 Team's struggles continue in China". Autoweek. 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  18. Codling, Jonathan Noble, Stuart. "Haas F1 team explains its track-dependent tyre problem". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  19. "Haas: We're not giving up on points | GRAND PRIX 247". Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  20. "Raikkonen disqualified from qualifying results in Baku | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  21. "Azerbaijan GP: Race team notes - Haas". Pitpass. 2019-04-28. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  22. Noble, Jonathan. "Only Romain Grosjean to run Haas F1 upgrade in Spanish GP practice". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  23. "Spanish Grand Prix 2019: Haas looking to 'play with Red Bull' in qualifying after strong Friday | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  24. "Qualifying report F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2019: Bottas makes it a hat trick with stunning pole in Spain | Formula 1®". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  25. "Spanish Grand Prix: Race facts and stats". formula1.com. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  26. "Haas: Magnussen and Grosjean have cleared the air after contact". www.formula1.com. 12 May 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  27. "Haas "cautiously optimistic" about 'significant' Spanish GP upgrade". Crash. 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  28. "Haas not jumping to conclusions over upgrade". ESPN.com. 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  29. Osten, Phillip van (2019-07-01). "Haas drivers still clueless as to why erratic form persists". F1i.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  30. Osten, Phillip van (2019-07-12). "Haas reverses Grosjean's VF-19 to Melbourne specs". F1i.com. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  31. "Frustrated Steiner 'still not over' Haas duo's British GP clash". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  32. "Guenther Steiner: VF-19 'strangest car I've ever worked with'". PlanetF1. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  33. Delaney, Michael (2019-08-14). "Steiner: Solving Haas VF-19's enigma key to 2020 car". F1i.com. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  34. "Haas to end split-spec experiment in Belgium". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
  35. "Haas data mismatch prompts Grosjean spec experiment". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-09-29.


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