Formula 1 digest: Haas unveils new VF-18 car for 2018 season

A rendering of the Haas F1 Team’s new VF-18 car for the 2018 F1 season

(Image credit: haasf1team.com)

last updated 14 February 2018

Haas launches 2018 car

The US-based Haas F1 Team have revealed their car for the 2018 season. Called the VF-18 it was officially unveiled today via the team’s social media and digital platforms.

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Guenther Steiner, team principal, added that the VF-18 carries the “significant addition of the halo” and a “drastic reduction in the sharkfin”. Steiner said: “The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the halo. It took quite a bit of study by the aerodynamicists, but the designers had to work hard to modify the chassis so the halo could survive the mandated loads.”

Red Bull have announced that the unveiling of the RB14 will be held on Monday, 19 February. Speaking ahead of the launch, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo says that the team are ready to attack this year and will fight to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari. Quoted by Autosport.com, he said: “I feel there is a good intensity [and] we know we have got some work to do if we really want to achieve what we want. We know we have some desires to attack this year – we should be able to fight more often – time will tell. But I am confident.”

The halo cockpit safety device is being introduced in the new season and is providing some challenging times for the F1 teams. McLaren chief engineering officer Matt Morris told F1i.com that the team have had some “heart-stopping moments” with halo testing. He said: “It has been a big challenge. The loads are very, very high. We always knew it was going to be a challenge and we invested some time and money up front to do quite a lot of test pieces. There were quite a few heart-stopping moments when doing the static test that comes in from an oblique angle – where it takes the weight of a London Bus. When you see that test going on, it is pretty scary with the amount of load going in there, which it is designed to do.”