Formula 1: Haas is the first newcomer with Halo
FORMULA 1 The Haas F1 Team today unveiled its 2018 Formula 1 race car via the Internet. The most striking feature of the Haas VF-18 is the cockpit protection called Halo. Drivers remain Romain Grosjean from Geneva, who starts for France, and Kevin Magnussen (DK). The Haas VF-18 is an evolution of last year's VF-17, with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen collecting a total of [...]
The Haas VF-18 is an evolution of last year's VF-17, with which Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen scored a total of 47 championship points in 2017, good for eighth place at the end of the Constructors' World Championship.
The biggest innovation this year is the introduction of Halo, as the mandatory cockpit protection is called. The purpose of this is to increase passive safety for drivers.
Challenge for aerodynamicists and designers
However, the latest generation of racing cars will not win any beauty prizes. Formula 2 and, from 2019, Formula 3 and GP3 will also feature Halo. Opinions among fans are also divided, with a tendency toward rejection.
As team boss Günther Steiner reveals, this was the biggest challenge for the designers.
Günther Steiner: "The aerodynamicists were challenged, and for the designers it was a lot of work to modify the chassis so that Halo meets all the load requirements. The weight of the car increased as a result, and the center of gravity is now somewhat higher because of its position. But in that respect, everyone has the same problem."
The Geneva native, who starts for France, and the Dane will also drive for the American Formula One team in 2018, which uses Ferrari's powertrain (engine and transmission).
The U.S. team's goal is to do better in 2018 than last year - but this is what all the teams ranked behind defending champion Mercedes want to...
Team owner Gene Haas: ""Both drivers were underperformed in 2017. If we give them a better car, which we hope to do with the VF-18, it will be possible."
