2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Well, we’ve made it. The final race of the first year for the Haas F1 Team.
The Formula 1 Championship is still up for grabs. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg held a 12 point lead over his teammate Hamilton going into the race. Lewis Hamilton would end up winning the race and Nico Rosberg finished second, which was enough for Rosberg to inch out Hamilton for the 2016 Formula 1 Championship.
Both Haas cars completed the race. Romain Grosjean took the 11th place while Gutierrez finished right behind him in 12th. Gutierrez actually out qualified Grosjean as the two started 13th and 14th respectively.
From the perspective of the Haas F1 Team, the race was fairly uneventful. Aside from Grosjean being run off of the track by Force India driver Carlos Sainz. Sainz would later retire from the race after Jolyn Palmer in his Renault missed his breaking point and end Sainz’s day.
So there it is. The first year of the Haas F1 Team has come to a conclusion. Haas finished 8th in the constructors championship. Romain Grosjean finished 13th in the drivers championship with 29 points, a formidable performance. Clearly Haas made the correct choice in Grosjean as their lead driver. Esteban Gutierrez did not score any points for his employer. I suspect we witnessed Gutierrez’s last race in Haas livery.
In the year when Gene Haas was told he’s in for a “rude awaking” says David Richards of Sky Sports… I think it was Richards that was rudely awaken by Gene Haas. Underestimating your opponent is an advantage any underdog covetes. It is safe to say that Haas was greatly underestimated. The Haas team was almost discarded as a legitimate team, let alone able to beat Sauber, Renault or SRT Marussia. But with 29 points in their first year it is safe to say that the future looks bright for American Formula 1 fans. We will not fool ourselves into believing that Haas could ever win a championship, or even a single race. The rules are designed to benefit Ferrari and Mercedes. There are only three real contenders in any Formula 1 race, and there is no prospect of that ever changing. But Haas Automation is getting the much desired notoriety they are seeking. Let’s just hope they improve their market share enough to justify the cost of an F1 team.
So that’s it for 2016. It has been a fantastic F1 season, and we look forward to Haas on the grid for 2017.