Gene Haas: “I’m pleased to see the car return to the more familiar Haas Automation colors. It’s certainly a livery that people identify with.”
Although they will show their final livery when the car is officially launched on February 19th in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday, the American Haas F1 Team gave internet viewers a glimpse of what their livery would be like in 2020 by revealing the VF-20 challenger.
Courtesy: News Break
It is a return to what began when the team first joined the Formula 1 grid in 2016. However, the team’s former sponsor, Rich Energy, made last season’s colors change to a gold and black livery. But following the withdrawal of the sponsor near the end of last season, Haas had hinted that the livery would change. And on Thursday, that hint came true–to their familiar colors of black, red and silver.
Both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will return to their cockpits, and as it was when it all started, most of the sponsored parts of the car will be with the global machine company’s logos on it. Additional partners, Jack Jones, Peak antifreeze, Blue Def, Alpinestars, and Windsheer, will represent a small portion of the car, while newcomers Mindmaze and Nominet, will be seen at trackside operations.
Both Grosjean and Magnussen will split all the days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. And with the familiar colors back again, no one could be more pleased than Gene Haas, team owner, who believes that it could improve the chances of finishing–just as it did when those colors were last around. “I’m pleased to see the car return to the more familiar Haas Automation colors. It’s certainly a livery that people identify with,” he said.
Gene Haas: Frankly, I’m hoping the VF-20 will return us to the kind of form we ran in 2018 when we finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship. 2019 was a tough season to endure. We’ve been through a real education process, one that comes to all Formula 1 team sat some stage. I’m trusting we’ve learned from those lessons and have applied that knowledge into making the VF-20 a more competitive entry. It’s important to me that we’re back in the mix and consistently scoring points. We certainly have the capability, and we’ve proved as an organization, we can do it.
Team Manager Guenther Steiner agreed. “It’s always exciting to see the development of a new Formula 1 car and, undoubtedly, the VF-20 has to deliver where our previous car didn’t. With the regulations remaining stable into this season, it’s allowed us to improve our understanding of the car and to scrutinize ourselves more to find solutions and applications to channel into the design of the VF-20,” Steiner surmised.
Steiner talks about Haas (photo, Motorsport)
“Last year was definitely a setback, one I would never have asked for, but you learn from such situations – we all have. Everybody at the team was forced to look at themselves and understand what they can do better. I’m looking forward to seeing the VF-20 make its track debut. As always, in testing, you want many things, but lots of mileage, reliability, and speed would be welcomed as we ready ourselves for the first race in Australia.”
This upcoming test should assist the team before the opening race, which will take place during the week of March 15-17. The first tests open in two weeks.
