Haas and its expectations for this year with some 'realism' thrown in - Haas: 'We are going to this party without really knowing what it's like' 'We are going to this party without really knowing what it's like' - Haas Jan 30, 2016 Laurence EdmondsonF1 Editor Haas is expecting to make "tons of mistakes" in its first year in Formula One but is confident it will eradicate most of them by its second season in 2017. Haas is joining the grid as a new team this year with drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez lined up to pilot a Ferrari-powered Dallara-built chassis. It has been working closely with Ferrari in the development of its car but is still expecting to struggle as a result of its inexperience this year. "It will be a building experience," team owner Gene Haas told Sports Business Daily. "We are going to this party without really knowing what it's like. We can sit there and watch what other people do but there's nothing like being there. That's going to be the experience." Haas said there is only so much his team can prepare for ahead of its first race. "I think we are prepared, I think we will do well at it but you have to really be there to learn it. All the reading you can do and talking to other people, the challenge is being able to do it. I'm sure we will make tons of mistakes, correct those mistakes and be better prepared for each race. "After we are done with those 21 races [this] year, we will have a whole year behind us and our notebook will be full of what we need to know. And we will do better after that."
It's better to see a new team coming in with some optimism rather than just putting up the white flag before the testing season even gets underway. Of course, it will be a learning season but Haas has gone about the business of getting into F-1 correctly, taken their time and hopefully have got their sums right. Conversely, when Aston Martin made their return to sports car racing in 2006, the top team brass threw a wet blanket all over the team's chances, it was almost as if Aston Martin was embarrassed to be involved in racing. Despite demoralizing the team before the season even started, Aston Martin won the GT1 class in its debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring. For the sake of F-1's profile, in the U.S., let's hope for some decent finishes but be prepared for some let-downs as well. BHW
Being realistic, in their first year as a non factory team, their target has to be to beat Marussia in year 1. That alone would be a decent start, and failing to achieve that should not be seen as unexpected… They are starting from absolute zero. If it were this easy to enter F1 and be competitive, everyone would be doing it...
Seems that as a new team they could finish last, with a car seconds behind everyone else, and it wouldn't be a surprise. In other words, just finishing races and being competitive with Manor or Sauber would be a big plus. If they actually beat another team, then it's a very successful year. With Manor running Mercedes engines this year, Manor could be the ones leaping up over Sauber and anyone else that stumbles.
one area open to improvement is pitstops certainly a team effort that can be honed with no technical hardware an under three second stop can sometimes move a car up several places
Given their budget, having Ferrari engines, a multi-year preparation (incl. advantages in testing) and Haas's experience in racing they really should aim higher as just beating Marussia.
That too, Haas has reasonably experienced and talented drivers opposed to the many rookies Marussia had to use. Haas seems to be lined-up well, both technically and mentally. The all-in McLaren/Honda approach is an example best avoided. I've got a feeling Haas will do well.
Will be interesting to see what how effective they are in race management & strategy. That seems like something no team can really get perfect (Ferrari ducking out at Malaysia a few times in Q1). Looking forward to watching and if they're good enough to actually disappoint me it means that there's hope...that in itself is a great thing!
+1 I think!.... You want them to disappoint you? Not quite sure that's what you meant there! I'm certainly looking forward to watching their efforts. A new team always adds a little interest. Given their (apparent) resources & experience, I'm guessing they'll be ahead of Marussia, which would be good in itself. Anything beyond that would be a huge win IMO. Cheers, Ian
I have a feeling that they will struggle quite a bit, but on the other side they will also open a few eyes in the process as well.
I would be disappointed if the car - when running well - is seconds behind. Sure, they will lose out to qualifying errors, pitstop errors, strategy errors, and mechanical problems. That's the stuff that needs time to shake out. But, when the car's running well (and I'd hope and expect that to not be a rarity), it should be at least competitive in the low midpack. I think they'll do OK.
Sauber use Ferrari engines, have been in the F1 business for decades and have decent drivers. They are also useless. Set realistic expectations with Haas. We all harbour great hopes for them as a new and well meaning team, but success will not come immediately. If it does, then that will be a positive and very welcome surprise..!
Ouch! (I guess falls into the 'harsh, but true' category. ) +1 It certainly adds a little more 'interest' to the whole thing though. Hopefully, they'll garner a few points - that helps a lot..... Cheers, Ian
+1 Very well stated. But, Ahead of Marussia? Sauber? McLaren!? I'm not gonna say it again..... Cheers, Ian
+1 History tells us that they all do.... Hopefully! Good for Haas & F1 in general. Certainly wishing them the best. Cheers, Ian
Realistically, I'm hoping they get one of the cars to finish in the points a couple of times in their first season. Even McLaren scored points in 2015, so anything's possible. All the best, Andrew.
Challenge for points each race would be a good start, then go from there. Their attitude is right, which is the first challenge. Can't wait to see what they can do.
I have a good feeling that they will surprise a lot of people with their results. They might be better then a lot of other teams on the grid.
Well, given the mess they were in at the start of the season, how little preseason testing they completed, and how few races they actually finished, it was pretty amazing that they scored any points at all last year. I'm sure Haas will do better than that in 2016. What'll be really interesting is to see who comes out ahead between Haas and McLaren, with the latter presumably more on pace for 2016 than 2015. I'm guessing, and it is a complete guess, that they'll be fighting over similar grid positions and will run pretty close through the race distance too. I'm looking forward to 2016. Hopefully there'll be less Mercedes dominance out front, close fights with Ferrari, and good fights throughout teams running in the pack too. All the best, Andrew.
