Haas has set itself the target of getting among the points finishers during its first F1 season.
The new American team launched its first F1 car, the VF-16, today in Spain. Team principal Guenther Steiner said their first objective will be to finish races after which he wants them to get into the top ten.
“Our goal with this car is to score points,” said Steiner. “First, we need to go out there and show that we can do the job, 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.”
Haas is the first new team to enter Formula One since Virgin (now Manor), Lotus, HRT and US F1 in 2010. The latter collapsed before the season began, HRT failed to score points in three years and Lotus, which later became Caterham, also scored no points during their five-year spell of competition.
Manor is the only new team left from 2010 and the only one to have scored any points, courtesy of Jules Bianchi in the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix.
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Arrows98 (@arrows98)
21st February 2016, 15:45
VF-16??? what does it stand for? “Very Fast”??? =P
synapseza (@synapseza)
21st February 2016, 15:53
@arrows98
“V” = Vertical (reference to the HAAS vertical mill CNC)
“F” = Formula 1
Informally it represents “Very First”
Arrows98 (@arrows98)
21st February 2016, 16:35
@synapseza thanks!
but, you know, part of me wanted to go very literal on the letters! haha
Mark Thomson (@melthom)
21st February 2016, 16:37
Velocity Force
Liam McShane (@)
21st February 2016, 17:12
“The origin of naming the car goes back to the first CNC machine manufactured by @Haas_Automation, the VF-1, launched in 1988.”
Quote from Haas on twitter
Source: https://twitter.com/HaasF1Team/status/701429943796953088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
WilliamB (@william-brierty)
21st February 2016, 17:19
I think this will need to be a launch package if Haas is to be in contention for points this year, because the level of design on this chassis is visibly lacking versus the admittedly front-running cars launched so far.
The rear-end especially is bloated versus the McLaren and Williams, and the sidepods and nose cut worryingly wide surfaces.
q85
21st February 2016, 17:36
another car with lots of black on it…. yawn
Tristan
22nd February 2016, 16:52
Don’t forget the red!