Wraps come off 2017 challenger from Haas

On the eve of the first pre-season test in Spain, Haas have released images of the car with which they will contest their second F1 campaign, in the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship.

The Ferrari-powered VF-17, built to this year’s new technical regulations, will be raced by the revised driver line-up of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, the latter having joined from Renault to replace Esteban Gutierrez.

Haas finished eighth in the constructors’ table last year, after a highly impressive debut season in which they scored a total of 29 points, beating established teams Renault and Sauber.

“I think the pedal box is the same, but all the rest is very different from last year’s car,” said Guenther Steiner, Haas team principal. “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 needed to have some built-in adjustability.

“Aesthetically, the car has a more aggressive look. It’s lighter and more aerodynamically efficient. Everything we learned from our first car has been applied to our new car.”

The VF-17 underwent a shakedown test for filming purposes in Barcelona on Saturday, ahead of Magnussen beginning its testing programme in earnest on Monday, with Grosjean taking over driving duties on Wednesday.