Haas F1 Team – Haas F1 Fan Journal

2019 Japanese Grand Prix

In a weekend interrupted by typhoon hagibis, the 2019 Japanese Grand prix found both qualifying and the race on the same day. Qualifying was dry and sunny but plagued with high winds.

During qualifying Kevin Magunssen was struck by a tailwind and found himself into the grass and spinning. The damage to his car seemed mostly cosmetic but he did start the race at the back of the pack since he did not post a qualifying time and the team had to change a gear box.

Romain Grosjean had a very good qualifying session. The flying Frenchman mad his way into the third round of qualifying yet started in the 10th position.

At the race start Magnussen jumped 6 positions to P13 and Grosjean dropped 4 positions just behind his teammate to 14th.

The Ferrari’s of Vettel and Leclerc locked out the first row with the German taking pole and his teammate in 2nd position. Vettel did not get a good start and both Ferrari’s were jumped by the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Leclerc tried found himself behind Verstappen’s Redbull by turn two. Leclerc tried to regain that spot at the inside of turn two and, forcing off the Redbull of Verstappen. Leclerc was forced to pit and change his front wing.

By lap 11 of the 53 lap race Magnussen was leading the two Haas cars were running 12th and 13th. But on lap 18 and 19 the two Haas cars pitted. Both cars were fitted with hard tires. We’re not sure which one stopped first. But fast forward to lap 22 and Grosjean was down to 15th and Magnussen was down to 18th.

After more midfield pitting in what appears will be a three stop race, lap 29, Grosjean P12, Magnussen P15.

With 10 laps remaining the Haas cars are running Grosjean 14th and Magnussen 16th.

Mercedes Finished first and third with Bottas taking the win and the Ferrari of Vettel splitting the Silver Arrows and taking second position. But with that finish Mercedes has clinched the 2019 constructors championship and their 6th in a row.

2019 Russian Grand Prix

After 28 laps of racing the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel experienced an MGU failure and retired from the race. This caused a yellow flag condition and allowed the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton to pit and gain the undercut advantage over the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Vettel’s comment over the team radio was music to every F1 fan’s ears, “bring back the fucking V12’s”.

2019 Russian Grand Prix

Romain Grosjean started 8th, and Kevin Magnussen 11th.
Magnussen got a great start and gained 3 positions by turn 3. Romain Grosjean retired from the race on the first lap as Daniel Ricciardo hit Grosjean in turn 3 and sent the Haas car into the wall, and out of the race.

At the end of the lap 28 incident, the Hass of Kevin Magnussen landed in 6th position when the race resumed at lap 33. At this point of the race the entire field had pitted and would make the remaining race distance without stopping. It was a 20 lap sprint for the checkered flag.

But it was Sebastian Vettel who was the prime mover as he jetted from third, past the number 2 car of Hamilton, into the slipstream of his teammate Charles Leclerc and into the lead by turn 3

Lap 43, Magnussen was passed by the Redbull of Alex Albon. On lap 44, Magnussen was passed by the pink Racing Point of Sergio Perez… as Magnussen droped to P8.

Lap 47, Kevin Magnussen received a 5 second time penalty for leaving the track limits, which at the time of the penalty would have put the Haas car out of the top 10 points position. But as it turned out, KMags was able to make up enough time on track so as to only drop one position. Kevin Magnussen finished 9th, scoring 2 championship points for the Haas F1 Team.

Yea, it was a bit heart wrenching to see Grosjean out of the race on lap 1.

Next up on October 13th is the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka International Racing Course. Suzuka is one of the great tracks on the Formula 1 circuit. Until then, Sayōnara.

2019 Austrian Grand Prix

Kevin Magnussen finished fifth in qualifying, a blistering rate for the Haas car. He was given a five grid place penalty for an engine change, so he started 10th. His teammate, Romain Grosjean started 11th.

By the end of lap 2, Kevin Magnussen was still in 10th. Grosjean dropped 4 spots and was down to 15th. By lap 9 the Haas cars started to drop off. By lap 17 Kevin Magnussen was in dead last and Grosjean had dropped to 16th.

The problem for Magnussen was twofold. First of all, his car was past the line in his grid box. That required a pit lane pass through penalty. But the other problem, which effected both Haas cars were the tired. The tires on the Haas cars were developing a burnt crust on the outer layer of their tired. The inside of the tires were not heating up, and the cars were not performing.

The Austrian Grand Prix was a 71 lap race around the 2.7 miles Redbull ring. Lap 35 was the mid way point, and found the Haas car of Grosjean in 16th, and Magnussen in 19th positions. That is where the pair would finish.

The race was won by Max Verstappen in his Red Bull. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was the car to beat all weekend . He was fastest in practice, and started the race on pole. Leclerc lead the race until lap 69, when max Verstappen lunged in a huge racing move to take the lead. Valtteri Bottas would take the third step of the podium… ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

For the Haas squad… the performance is difficult to accept. Obviously the team is doing everything that they can. The overheating of the tires is on the team; the drivers cannot overcome that difficulty. But I’m not to sure Grosjean is not facing other difficulties. Race after race he continues to lose positions on the first lap. These are positions he never gets back. The die is cast for 2019. I think it is time to start thinking about 2020…..

Next, Silverstone, and the British Grand Prix.

2019 French Grand Prix

The Haas F1 Team is in a rut, and the stink is starting to get bad. The team scored no points in Canada, a single point at Monaco by Grosjean.

The French Grand Prix did not fail to meet expectations. Romain Grosjean made an error on his final hot lap of Q1 and finished qualifying in 17th position, out of 20 drivers. Kevin Magnussen passed into the second qualifying round, but finished at the back of that group, 15th. Lewis Hamilton took pole and Valttari Bottas was 2nd; another Mercedes front row lock out. Charles Leclerc started 3rd in his Ferrari and Max Verstappen 4th in his Redbull. Sebastian Vettel was down in 7th position.

By the end of the first lap of the race Romain Grosjean had lost two positions and was down to P18, Magnussen was +1 and up to the 14th spot, dropped to last on lap 17 when he pitted. He would never recover. Grosjean pitted on the 33rd lap and rejoined the field one spot ahead of his teammate . The Haas cars were P17 and P18, only ahead of the two Willaims of George Russel and Robert Kubica.

Romain Grosjean dropped out of the race on lap 48 of the 53 race distance. Magnussen will finish in 14th.

Formula 1 is becoming painful to watch.

2019 Canadian Grand Prix

The 2019 Canadian Grand Prix will go down in history as one of the most controversial races in a long time.

The race was won by Ferrari driver Sebestain Vettel. But the win was handed to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton after Vettel was handed a 5 second penaly on lap xx for an unsafe entry after cutting turn x and skidding across the grass and into hamilton’s racing lane. Everyone from Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansel, Jensen Button, Sky F1 analysys martin Mrundel, Karun Chandhok, Leigh Diffy, David Hobbs are among those who have called the stewards ruling incorrect.

It seems that any of the other facts from the race are meaningless. When Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansel both agree with your opinion regarding a Formula 1 racing, you’re on solid ground.

But regarding the race…

Kevin Magnussen was the only Haas Car to make it to the third round of qualifying, but he kissed the wall of champions in the closing moments of Q2. As the rear of his car bounced off of the wall, the car spun around and hit the wall on the opposing side of the track. The qualifying session ended under the red flag created by the accident. Kevin Magnusssen was not injured. His crew was able to rebuild his car and he started the race from the pit lane, 20th position. He finished 17th.

Romain Grosjean”s qualifying session was interrupted by Magnussen’s crash. As a result, Romain Grosjean did not get out of the second qualifying session and started 14th. He lost 4 positions on the race start when Alexander Albon’s Toro Rosso lost it’s front wing in a three wide converging incident. Grosjean would finish 14th. Both Renults finished in the points as Ricciardo and Hulkenberg finished 6th and 7th respectfully for a total grab of 14 points. Lance Stroll scored two points in the home grand pris for himself and Racing Point. And Dany Kvyat rounded off the scoring with 1 point in his Toro Rosso.

At one point in the race Kevin magnussen declared that it was the worst experiences he’s ever had in a racing car. One can only assume that his car could have used some adjustments on the setup.

With this race behind us it is back to Europe for the French Grand prix on June 23rd. This will be Romain Grosjean’s home race. He will be anxious to perform for his home crowd. Let’s hope he can provide a good result along with his teammate. Well see you then!

2019 Monaco Grand Prix – Qualifying

The Monaco harbor master is usually the one with the most frayed nerves during Grand Prix weekend. Until the fairy tale arrival of Charles LeClerc was shattered into an Italian tragedy, the scarlet blood-red Ferrari failed to qualify for the second session of competition. Was it incompetence? Was it…. No, it was incompetence. Perhaps harsh. Call it a passionate miscalculation. Regardless, LeClerc was OUT in Q1! It was not meant to be…. And fantasy Formula 1 leagues tumble on the disappointment which is motor racing!

The Rich Energy Haas F1 Team, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, were able to advance to Q2. Q3 is when tragedy struck a Haas car. This time the villain is Pierre Gasley in the Toro Rosso. He was driving slowly on the racing line and backed up Grosjean’s hot lap. Kevin Magnussen qualified 6th with what Martin Brumble called a “fully committed lap”. KMags was brilliant! Behind the scenes there is a bitter argument between two Frenchmen going on, Grosjean and Gasley… at the time of this writing we are aghast with Gasley, as are the stewards.

But as cars rolled onto the track for the third round of qualifying, Haas fans had one eye raised with measured optimism. Bottas immediately went to the top with a 1:10.252. Magnussen held P4 with a .999 gap to Bottas. But Magnussen quickly droped to 5th, behind Gasley, Vettel, Verstappen and Bottas. He dropped to 6th as Hamilton beat Verstappen for P2. But going into the final run for pole, KMags maintained that .999 second gap to the leader. This is by far the best qualifying run for any Haas car, ever. Imagine if Grosjean was able to make the final qualifying session? I suspect that Ricciardo’s Redbull would be easy pickings on this day for Grosjean.

With 2 minutes remaining in qualifying, the cars took to the track for their final run. Ricciardo was the first to strike and displace the Haas of Kevin Magnussen for 6th. Magnussen responds, to gap with the leader by .890, but not enough to take Ricciardo’s P6. With 12 seconds remaining, Lewis Hamilton jumps to the pole with a 1:10.166 , and the gap to Magnussen parts to 1.066. But as Magnussen’s Ferrari powered Rich Energy Haas car crossed the line, he closed the gap to .943 seconds from Hamilton’s 1:11.109. In doing so, Magnussen finished 6th, ahead of Ricciardo’s Renault by .089 sec. Very sweet!

Following the qualifying sessions, Red Bull driver Pierre Gasley was summoned to the race control. His block of Grosjean’s qualifying run was not well-received by the race stewards. Gasley was given a three grid spot penalty and one point against his FIA super license. So Gasley’s penalty moved Kevin Magnussen up to the 5th starting position. That translates to row three, and next to Vettel. Anything can happen between the start of the race, and the end of turn 1. Without any Renault powered cars ahead, the likely hood of a mechanical failure at the front is reduced. Regardless, the podium is within sight of a Haas car… we’re getting somewhere!

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix

The race was a disaster for the Rich Energy Haas F1 Team. The team had a strong weekend throughout practice, and had a very promising qualifying session as both cars reached Q3 and finished with the Haas car of Magnussen qualifying in P6, and Grosjean in P8. Grosjean was levied a 3 place penalty for blocking the Mclaren of Lando Norris, so the Haas cars started 6th and 11th respectively.

Lap 1 was the beginning to the end of romain Grosjean’s day. He was bumped off track in the first turn by the pink Racing Point Force India of Lance Stroll. Grosjean returned to the race in last place. He later retired from the race in lap 18 with damage sustained by the lap 1 impact by Stroll. Two races and two retirements for Grosjean. His season can only get better… we hope.

For Magnussen, he ended the race in P13. No points for the Haas team.

Magnussen lost one position by the end of lap one and was down to P7. Magnussen was loosing pace early and could not maintain pace. By lap 11 he was down to 14th position. He pitted on the 11th lap, returned in 15th position, which is where he would remain for the the rest of the race. With just 3 laps remaining, as if on queue, both Renaults of Hulkenberg and Ricciardo blew up and experienced catastrophic engine failure. It was almost scary how both engines failed at the same time. But those two retirements would inch magnussen up to P13, but still no points for the Haas team.

But as to the race, it was a an epic win for Lewis Hamilton, with his teammate Valtteri Bottas taking second. Charles Leclerc was leading the race with 10 laps remaining when he lost the HTU hybrid recovery unit on his Ferrari. Leclerc was under power, but slower. The two Mercedes Silver Arrows were able to overtake the wounded Ferrari, and max Verstappen was lining up the Ferrari himself when the two aforementioned Renaults failed, bringing out the safety car, and saving Leclerc from the clutches of Verstappen’s Red Bull. The race would finish under caution and Leclerc would take the first F1 podium in his short career.

2019 Australian Grand Prix

Formula 1 racing is off to start the 2019 season with the Australian Grand Prix. In what was a terrific race, there are lots of story lines, but first, on with the Rich Energy Haas F1 Team.

Kevin Magnussen started the race in the 7th position and finished 6th, earning 8 points for both the team and himself.

Grosjean had a monster qualifying round and started ahead of his teammate in 6th position. Like 2018, the day was aligning up for a big points total for the Haas squad. But again like 2018, lightning struck again. Grosjean pitted on lap 16, and the car was delayed on the stop due to problems with the left front tire. It was odd when 16 laps later, lap 32, that Grosjean retired from the race with a loose left front wheel… his right front wheel came off and needed to be re-tired!!! But I say odd because replay indicates no problems with that left front tire for the sixteen laps following the pit stop. Onboard footage of Grosjean’s lap 27 pass of the Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi clearly indicates that the left front wheel is still attached and spinning perfectly. The wheel nuts are designed to either lock, but a failed or mis-installed wheel nut usually become immediately apparent. Odd that it took Grosjean’s left front wheel three laps to come loose.

The pendulum of good fortune swung in Magnussen’s direction when he pitted. His primary concern was re-entering the race on lap 15 after the pit ahead of his Renault competitor Nico Hulkenberg, and he did. It was a key moment in KMags race, and the team pulled it off. Magnussen ended up back in 6th position after Grosjean’s retirement, and only lost that position after his pitstop as cars ahead of him extended out their first pit stops.

So for Haas it was a great score of 8 points, but it should have been 14. But one thing for sure, The Rich Energy Haas F1 Team is fast…. Faster than the entire F1.5 field so far.

Aside from the Haas team, there were other story lines worth mentioning.

Valtteri Bottas dominated the day for both his team and the field. Bottas emerged into 2019 much more focused and determined than where he left off in 2018. There were reports of Valtteri doing some serious soul-searching over the off-season, and it was apparent, straight away. His demeanor was much more focused. There is no other way to put it but, he seemed a bit less nice to his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. Last year he saw Lewis as his teammate first. This year Bottas seems to be looking at Hamilton a bit more as a competitor first, and teammate second.

But Bottas was brilliant all day. Lewis Hamilton started on pole, and Bottas lined up in the second position. It was an all Mercedes front row. Bottas was ahead of his teammate by the time he exited turn 1, and never looked back. Bottas was taking his Silver Arrow to the limit, and the 5 time world champion Lewis Hamilton, in equal equipment, could not catch him all day. The teammates’ composure after the race was also telling. Bottas spoke with a sincere sense of possibility, while Hamilton was clearly looking for answers. 2019 may be the year we see another Finnish F1 Champion… if he keeps this up. But it’s a long season.

The big story for the local F1 fans in Australia was Daniel Ricciardo’s first appearance with Renault F1. His day was done before turn 1.

Ricciardo started the race in P12, one spot behind his teammate Nico Hulkenberg. During the sprint for turn 1 at the start of the race, Ricciardo took the inside line. He got a bit squeezed and was forced into the grass. His front wing caught some grass and was completely destroyed. It broke off of his car and flew away. Luckily his car was not broken otherwise, so he pitted ad received a new front wing. Unfortunately he re-entered the race at the back of the pack. Ricciardo ended up retiring from the race in lap 31, the third retirement from his home grand prix.

I have to wonder what Ricciardo was thinking when he left Red Bull. He had terrible reliability issues last year at Red Bull with that Renault engine. This year Renault is using Honda engines. So what does Ricciardo do? He moves to Renault? I expected Renault to compete for the front last year, and they did not. What did Ricciardo see which encouraged him? I’m not sure…. Sometimes that change of scenery seems like a good thing at the time. Regardless… his Red Bull replacement driver, Pierre Gasly is not proving to be a threat to Haas, so all is good with the world.

So that is it for week 1 in the 2019 Formula 1 season. It looks like the Haas car is very fast and clearly the favorite for the mid pack race… 4th position in the constructors championship is realistic. If Grosjean can get a clean race under his belt the team will be hard to beat!!!

Great job Rich Energy Haas F1 Team! See you in Bahrain!

2018 French Grand Prix

The Haas F1 cars of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean locked out row 5 to start the French Grand Prix in 9th and 10 positions.

It was the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel starting in 5th position which started the trouble in turn 1. Vettel ran into the back of the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas, damaging Vettel’s front wing and puncturing Bottas’s rear tire. Further back, in turn 3, the Force India of Esteban Ocon was taken out when Pierre Gasley lost control of his Toro Rosso, eliminating the two Frenchmen on the first lap of their home grand prix. By the end of lap 1, Kevin Magnussen ended up in the 5th position and Grosjean 8th.

Romain Grosjean would end up getting blamed for the incident, and receive a 5 second penalty for causing the incident with Ocon and Gasley. So one Frenchman took out the other two Frenchman in the first lap of the French Grand Prix race. We must question Grosjean’s on track antics some time. How much longer does Haas keep this guy? I digress…

It was lap 20 when the Mercedes Silver Arrow of Valtteri Bottas recovered from last place, to pass Romain Grosjean, dropping Grosjean to 11th position. Magnussen pitted in lap 29, and returned to the track in 13th position. Grosjean pitted on lap 35 from 8th position, and returned to the grid in last place, 17th.

A full course caution on lap 48 caused by a blown tire on the Williams of Lance Stroll caused the race to finish under yellow. Kevin Magnussen was able to hold off the attack of Bottas and finish the race in P6. Grosjean finished 11th.

Lewis Hamilton would lead every lap and win the race. Kimi Raikkonen finished second in his Ferrari, and max Verstappen third in his RedBull.

Next, we are on to the Redbullring for the Austrian Grand Prix!!!

2018 Season Opening Comments….

The lights will go green in a few hours, and the Formula 1 season will be under way.

Some things have changed in Formula 1 since last season. First and foremost was the elimination of grid girls. We will no longer see these beautiful women in and around the F1 paddock. Personally, I’ll miss them and feel it is hypocritical to fire someone because you believe it is in their best interest. Call it a new F1 moral code.

Another change, which is perhaps more obvious to others is the addition of the halo protection system. This controversial change has got many F1 pundits and participants at odds with the governing body. The device was first described by someone to look like a flip flop. The story has taken off and flop flop sponsors have been secured.

Pirelli has added two additional rubber compounds to the series options. There are now nine different tire compounds in the Pirelli stable. I strongly recommend printing out a Pirelli color reference chart so you can remember the tire nomenclature and color codes.

The US broadcast rights for Formula 1 have moved from NBC to ESPN, an all sports network. The televised broadcast will be siphoned off of the UK based Sky Network feed. So we are meeting and learning about a whole new broadcast crew. That process has been… interesting to say the least. But that is a topic for another article.

But perhaps the most significant change from last year is the improved performance of the Haas Formula 1 team. The Haas VF-18 challenger has so far proven superior to the the rivals of McLaren, Williams, Renault, Force India, Toro-Rosso and Sauber. Consistently throughout testing and now up to qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, the Haas has been the hot car. It was just two short years ago that David Richards and Gary Anderson stated that Gene Haas was in for a “rude awakening”. Well there has been an awakening…. and it was not Gene Haas that was asleep.

2018 prospects are bright for the Haas team, and it’s fans. Kevin Magnussen Is starting 5th and Romain Grosjean lines up next to him in 6th. A three grid spot penalty for Daniel Riccardo’s caution flag violation and a third round qualifying shunt by Valtteri Bottas has put both drivers behind the Haas boys.

For the first time ever, the Haas F1 Team has a legitimate shot at earning a podium finish. They scored points in their very first race when Grosjean finished in 6th position 2016 Australian Grand Prix. At the time he said “this is like a win for us “. Two years later that winning expectation has taken root, and they are starting the 2018 Australian Grand Prix with fewer cars in front of them with their sights on a podium… Fantastic, Game On!