2016 Formula 1 Season – Haas F1 Fan Journal

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.

2016 Grand Prix of Brazil

The Haas F1 Team was poised to deliver more championship points, until the weekend took a turn for the worse. Romain Grosjean qualified P7 for the Haas Team.

But excitement for the Brazilian Grand Prix was quickly diluted by a continual riveting rain. Grosjean smashed his car into a barrier wall at the conclusion of the formation lap. Romain Grosjean’s day was over and delegated a DNS (did not start) status. Gutierrez was the last hope for Haas.

Starting from a respectable 12th position, Esteban Gutierrez was the lone hope for Haas. The first 7 laps of the race were run behind the safety car. There was another safety car at lap 14 due to the crash of Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber. The race was then red flagged du to rain. 27 minutes later racing resumed, and Gutierrez found himself nested back in 17th position. The Haas pilot was able to work his way up to P12 by lap 40. That is when Gutierrez started to experience electrical issues, which ultimately caused his retirement at lap 60. Ultimately it was the failure of the engine hybrid components, the MGU-H and then the MGU-K, which resulted in Gutierrez’s retirement.

So, no points for Haas. They did not even finish the race.

Lewis Hamilton ended up beating his Mercedes rival Nico Rosberg by 11 seconds as the two Silver Arrows finished the day first and second. The final podium spot was taken by Max Verstappen in his Redbull.

Next is the final race of the 2016 season at the Adu Dabi Grand Prix.

2016 Grand Prix of Mexico

Esteban Gutierrez was front and center for his first home grand prix as a Haas F1 Driver. Bot eht team and crowd were filled with the anticipation of A Mexican driver racing in his home country.

Expectations were kept within reason as the Haas driver started from the 17th position on the grill. His teammate Romain Grosjean was forced to start the race from pit lane after his car required a new floor board after qualifying.

The excitement for the Haas fans was short lived. Romain Grosjean complained all day about his lack of grip and braking problems and finished 20th. Gutierrez was able to beat his teammate and finished in P19.

The Haas F1 Team may not have fared well against their competitors, but there was a bright spot for the team. It was the 12th race of 19 races where both cars finished the race. For a first time team this is important, and a reason for optimism.

Lewis Hamilton won the race for Mercedes. It was Hamilton’s 51’s career F1 victory, and he is now tied with Alain Prost on the all-time win board. The only other driver with more wins than Prost and Hamilton is Michael Schumacher, with 91 victories. Matching the win count to Prost is a formidable achievement. The next 40 victories will be more difficult to achieve for Lewis. But for today, Hamilton has achieved a true milestone in his career.

There are just two races remaining in this 2016 season. The Haas team holds 29 points and has a secure hold on 8th position in the constructors championship. Torro_Rosso is sitting in 7th for the constructors championship, and secure at 69 points. In 9th position is the Renault F1 team with only 8 points. So it is safe to say that the Haas F1 Team will finish 8th for the 2016 F1 season. Not too shabby. Each race is an entirely new experience for the Haas Team. The team lacks prior performance data to compare the car to. With each year the team will build upon it’s experience. But getting to the end of the first season may be more pain than gain.

Bring on Brazil!!!

2016 United States Grand Prix

The 2016 United States Grand Prix what’s the first home race for the Haas F1 Team, and fans were excited. There were record crowds on hand at Circuit of the Americas. And it was obvious that America was glad to have a Formula 1 team again.

So the Haas Team went into to qualifying with hot very high hopes, especially after their best ever qualifying session in Japan just two weeks previously. But as it would work out it was not a very good qualifying session for the team. Grosjean did not advance out of the first qualifying session and started 17th on the grid. His Junior root teammate, Esteban Gutierrez, made it into Q2 and started 14th on the grid.

Both Haas cars had a very good race start. By the end of the first lap Grosjean have moved up from 17th to 14th Place. And Gutierrez worked his way up to 10th from 14th.

After two pit stops Grosjean had worked his way up to 12th place. Gutierrez would retire from the race because of brake failures. It was a very disappointing to watch, especially considering what a good race he was running.

With mechanical failures, front runners Max Verstappen in his Red Bull and Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari would not finish the race. This moved Romain Grosjean up to 10 place, which is where he finished the race. Grosjean earned the Haas team a single first home Grand Prix for that 10th place finish. It was an extremely positive an exciting day for the team and their fans.

Next next week we are on to Mexico for the home Grand Prix of Esteban Gutierrez. Things are looking up for the Haas F1 team. We’ll see you in Mexico

2016 Japanese Grand Prix

After a terrible showing at the Malaysian Grand Prix Haas was looking for a performance they could build on going into Japan. The weekend started strong with optimism as both hot cars made it into the third qualifying round. Romain grosjean qualified seventh on the grid and s-bahn Gutierrez started 10th. Nico rosberg took pole in his Mercedes Silver Arrow and his teammate Lewis Hamilton started in P2

Hopes faded quickly for the husk Squad asgrow Jean lost two positions in the first lap. By the 10th lap and after the first series of pit stops, grosjean had dropped the 14th position and Gutierrez 20th. Groshong was able to fight back and finish 11th but Gutierrez would finish the race in 20th position.

But the team again was able to finish and that is perhaps the positive take away. Liability will carry this team long into the future. I’m finishing this race after the retirements in Malaysia cuz a good sign.

Next it’s off to Texas for the first home Grand Prix of the new Haas team. United States Grand Prix is next and the house fans will be there in force. See you in Texas

2016 Malaysian Grand Prix – Race Final

Haas fans were optimistic going into to the Malaysian Grand Prix. Haas F1 teammates remind groshan and Esteban Gutierrez qualified 12th and 13th respectively. The 7 race trout of not scoring points has left the American team rather stagnant and in need of encouragement.

Encouragement would not come this race weekend. Gutierrez got a puncture on his front tire at the first turn of the race start when the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel and tge Mercedes Nico rosberg got into a scrap fighting for position. Gutierrez is the car that got hurt and put him in last place, 20th position.

Romain Grosjean’s race ended on lap 9 when he experienced complete brake failure at turned 15. This car was safely captured by the gravel but his race was done.

For Esteban Gutierrez, his race ended one lap 41 when his left front tire came off of his car. There was no explanation as to why this happened happened. For the Haas Team it’s another race with no points.

Japanese Grand Prix is next. The Suzuki track is one of the most exciting in the world. Because it has that cross over it’s technically a Figure 8. Just like the race set we got as kids for Christmas. Until Japan, sayonara!

2016 Singapore Grand Prix – Race Final

Responsibility and attention was piled upon Esteban Gutierrez today at the Singapore Grand Prix. For the first time in the team’s history the Haas F1 team was only able to field one competitor in today’s race. The car of Romain Grosjean suffered a series of mechanical failures which the team was not able to resolve before the race start. Esteban Gutierrez qualified 13th.

During the race Gutierrez was able to reach P5. This Was His Highest position and he would end the day and that all too familiar 11th Place. After 15 races Esteban Gutierrez has still not scored any points for the Haas team and this would be his sixth time finishing in 11th spot, fun place away from those elusive points.

Croatians problems begin during practice. The French Haas pilot was not able to participate in practice 1. He spun the car in practice 2 and it broke his rear wing, rear suspension, and it’s floor. Heathens pen again and it broke his gearbox or as we call it a transmission. The replacement of the transmission costume of five place penalty on the starting grid which would have been applied after qualifying. But then at the last minute his brake by wire system broke and Grosjean shop was out of the race.

It was a beautiful waste race to watch. Just not for the Haas team. We’ll see you all in Malaysia in 2 weeks.

2016 Italian Grand Prix – Pre Race

Esteban Gutiérrez has qualified 10th for the 2016 Italian Grand Prix. He is the first driver to take a Haas F1 car into the third qualifying round for any race.

The team rolled out a special wing for the Italian Grand Prix. The leading edge of the wing is shaped in the form of a “W”.

Mercedes is utilizing a wing with a leading edge shaped like an elongated V. But the Haas design doubles this form factor in a waving fashion. Visually the two wings look different from the standard flat plank the Haas team and most others run. But what is the advantage of the wave in the wing? How does this help the car go faster? Does it provide more or less downforce then a standard wing? These are the many questions I was asking, and not a single NBC analyst dared to tackle the design impact, including Steve Matchette. I was disappointed.

The new wing on the Haas F1 car has two intended purposes; greater downforce and better stability in high speed turns. Down force is not the only application of Bernoulli’s principle at work here, and not what Haas and AMG Mercedes are chasing with their designs.

Building curves into the wing effectively makes it longer. Just as a shoe lace looks shorter while in the package, it stretches out when you unwind it. In the same way both Haas and Mercedes have done this. Adding a second wing is an alternate approach to lengthening the wing. So why the wave? Wouldn’t a wave increase the drag? Well yes is does to an extent. And it creates vertical down force. But the teams are chasing another aeronautical dynamic, the vertical component of lift.

The vertical component of lift is what allows air planes to turn. Ailerons on the wings is how the pilot controls this force, along with their rudder and elevator. As the pilot turns his wheel to the left, the aileron on the right drops down, which causes the wing to go up. The lift which raises the plane can be directed sideways and cause the plane to turn. To assist in turning an airplane, some wings are not flat but have an upward bend built into it, or dihedral. Remember that a race car wing is like an airplane wing, but upside down . So the AMG Mercedes uses a single bend inverted design or dihedral. The Haas wing has 2 bends on each side, polyhedral.

So as the Haas and AMG Mercedes cars are driving in a straight line there are downward forces coming off of the wing, perpendicular to the wing surface. The AMG Mercedes wing spreads it’s down force in the shape of an umbrella. The downward forces on the Haas wing spread in an even more lateral or sideways direction. As the car enters a turn the down forces on the back of the car will become asymmetrical. The vertical component of lift can be used to help get the car around the corner. I suspect that these aerodynamics are only beneficial at high speeds. So at a track with high speed turns, like Monza, the benefits can be realized. On a slower track the beneficial vertical down force may be negligible and drag inducing. It would require a conversation with the design team to fully understand the aerodynamic nuances… wouldn’t that be cool! I digress…

So the new Haas wing is exciting. The car is faster and lookes very stable…

From the beginning I’ve been touting the reliability of the Haas Team… reliability… race craft… over and over. Well today Esteban Gutierrez essentially addressed my point in an interview with Will Buxton, and i paraphrase, ” since we’ve been consistent we’ve then been able to focus on things that will help us”. The reliability s paying off. After all of those 11th place finishes, he has broken into the top 10.

Grosjean qualified 12th but will start 17th due to a 5 place penalty for his transmission swap. Yes I call it a transmission, not a gearbox. My 5 speed Honda Accord has a gearbox!

Again it comes down to the start. Esteban and Romain have both had good starts and escaped turn 1 unscathed. Let’s believe the same is going to happen. Dare I say they could have not one but two cars in points? I believe Esteban Gutierrez will score his first points for Haas F1. And if Grosjean can manage his tires, I believe he can move up. Points are not out of the question for both drivers. The car’s were especially fast in qualifying. The Team did not post a time for Gutierrez until the very end of Q3, which concerned me. But I believe they were conceding the effort. P10 puts him on the outside of the track and a safer vantage point into turn 1. It was a safe play…

Can the team maintain it’s advantage throughout the race? Have the Haas cars improved? It sure looks like it. A single mistake by a competitor could make the difference. The Haas Team has not made any significant mistakes on race day. This is going to be an exciting and fast race.

Go Haas F1 Team!!!!

It’s Monza… and the Americans are in the house!!!

2016 Belgian Grand Prix – Pre Race

Half time is over… The kickoff to Formula 1’s second half is just hours away. We’ve all had time to eat a meatball sandwich, use the facilities, catch a smoke, even run out for more beer. Kickoff is officially at 8 AM EST August 28th, tomorrow morning, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

The Haas F1 Team has not failed to disappoint at any point of its development. The team is fairly well seated in the F1 constructors championship in 8th position with 28 points. They follow McLaren who holds 42 points and leads Renault in 9th position with 6 points. McLaren and Honda are not relenting to develop their engine for this year. They are in a points battle with Toro Rosso who only leads McLaren by 3 points, with 45. So it was not surprising to learn that the Haas team will commit all new development activities to the car they will campaign for the 2017 season. As the emphasis on the teams opportunities fade, an opportunity for the drivers emerges. They can define a meaningful purpose to the racing… now it’s personal!!!

The 5 position grid penalty on Esteban Gutierrez can be seen in two ways. As Tevye (Father character in “Fiddler On The Roof”) would say… in his deep baritone voice…

On one hand, he is a good boy! He does not break my car, too much. He does not earned his keep but, he also has finished 11th place… 4 times! He does not embarrass me! I sell lots of hats in Mexico, and I like him. He’s a good boy!

On the other hand… I’m not so sure. The accident in Australia, Alonso could have been killed. Now a 5 spot penalty… for what.. forgetting you are in a race car, on a race track, and there are other cars? We shall see…

But on the other hand… he has been doing better than my other boy… but still no points…

Starting from 18th position may be too difficult for Gutierrez to over come. Even if he can pick up a few positions at the start, it seems that points are an unrealistic expectation for him. I sure hope I’m wrong. and I might be.

Drivers are complaining that Pirelli’s tire pressure requirements are too stringent. Many feel it is making the tires too hard, resulting in higher temperatures and premature degradation. In this motorsport article, Jensen Button explains his frustrations with the tires. It’s worth reading, but not me repeating! 🙂

But the tire pressure could play into Haas’s hands. Now I admit my logic may be a bit loosely fitted, but all indicators are in the teams favor. In a fantastically written article on the Haas F1 Team web site, Romain Grosjean says this,

“The car was fine in qualifying. We made a good step before the summer break, so I’m more happy with the car. There are still a few things we can improve but, generally, it’s not a bad place to be after qualifying. For the race, I don’t think we’ll be as challenged as some of the other teams. Hopefully, we can have a good, aggressive strategy and try to make it work to get some points.”

Romain does not tell us what their advantage is, but they definitely must feel that they have one. Execution of their strategy will need to be perfect for the team to over perform. The combined design and execution of the race strategy could significantly improve the Haas Team’s performance, and it’s their greatest strength.

At the beginning the 2016 season the Haas team had no experience with their new car. The team had never worked together. Their front wing was shit and Esteban could not find the bathroom. Yet Haas F1 scored in three of their first 4 races. Perhaps I’m beating a dead horse, but Gene Haas bring race craft! It does not matter if he’s racing Chevy modifieds on a dirt track, wrenching on Indy cars, or writing history in the NASCAR record books, he knows what he’s doing.

If ever there was an opportunity to win a race on strategy and execution, it will be the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.

Both Romain’s and Esteban’s primary purpose, in life tomorrow, is to get a great race start and through turn 1 unscathed. The unscathed part is the most important thing. Jumping ahead then having to pit is not really jumping ahead… so… you listening Esteban? For Esteban this race is a bit of a trial. For Romain, an opportunity.

Romain Grosjean is starting in 11th position. The Haas car does not have the giddy up to run with Williams or Force India. And as mentioned before, the McLaren will only get faster. Attrition at the front of the pack never hurt the feelings of the mid pack contenders, and if that happens Romain will be the first to benefit.

No one has any idea how the race will play out. We’ve seen similar tire life expectancies from both the medium ands and soft tire compounds. But the Ardennes is taking its tole. The heat is tearing and blistering the tires in rates disproportionate to previous races. In that gap is where the fortunes lie for the Haas F1 team. An opportunity will present itself and they will be ready!

I do believe that Romain Grosjean will score points. Esteban, 11th position? For the 5th time? Seems reasonable.

and on a personal note…
“If I were a rich man”… twitter follower @EauRouger would we watching this race from La Source. Keep fighting Chester!

2016 German Grand Prix – Pre-race

Esteban Gutiérrez qualified 11th for the German Grand Prix. He lines up behind the Mercedes powered Force India of Sergio Perez. In P10 and to Gutierrez’s right front is the Mercedes powered Williams of Felipe Massa. Behind him are the Honda powered McLarens of Button in 12th and Alonso in 13th.

Gutierrez out qualified both McClarens, both Renaults, both toro Rosso’s, both Manors, both Saubers and…. drumroll… his teammate romain Grosjean. Grosjean’s 15th position in qualifying was rewarded with a further 5 grid bump to the back due. A spin in free practice 3 damaged his gearbox (transmission). Per Formula 1 rules, the Haas f1 Team Grosjean specifically, were penalized 5 grip spots for the swap. The penalty may be more than Grosjean can overcome to earn points.

Esteban Gutierrez has been showing steady improvement throughout the year. He retired from the first and second race. But he as since completed the rest of the races to this point. After 11 races Esteban Gutierrez has completed the last 9 races. Of his 9 finishes he’s got three 11th places finishes, which are his best in a Haas car. Spain, Montreal and Austria he was knocking at the door but denied. the car is proving reliable. He has out performed his teammate Grosjean in 6 of the last 7 races. Esteban is increasing his value to the team with each drive. Gunther Steiner, Haas f1 Team Principal, stated that the team will shift it’s development focus to the 2017 chassis. As long as Gutierrez is finishing races he is doing his job. But as his performance demonstrates a trajectory forward, he makes Gene Haas’s driver decision with each race. The less Haas has to worry about driver lineup provides more stability for the development platform.

And after the German Grand Prix we can expect the F1 silly season of rumors to begin. I’ll throw out my suspicions about the Haas driver lineup.

Does Romain Grosjean have Renault dreams? I’ve written previously that Renault would be his dream job. As the entire season is about to pop like a toaster over… we could see some musical chairs…

Assume Haas likes what Gutierrez is doing and he continues along his trajectory, I think Esteban stays. Renault had to adapt the Lotus Chassis to fit their engine. But next year will be a ground up design entirely new, entirely Renault. Grosjean has proven himself a valuable development driver. Renault could use him next year and I think Romain would love it… maybe i’m wrong. But i don’t think i am.

So as the silly season commences i’ll be thinking about Grosjean’s seat. Indications are that McClaren may be ready to break ties with Jensen Button… Bang! If Alonso leaves F1 .

So there is a little mind blurb that’s been building. Maybe I’m wrong, they keem Grosjean and axe Esteban… if we can stay pat, and Romain is happy, then the team is better off. Esteban Gutierrez is tired of 11th place finishes. But this time he’s got an 11th place start. If ever he was in a position to score points it’s now. His start will be critical… I think we will see Haas score points in Germany and Esteban will further his case that he is the right guy at the right time!