Well, I’m really glad I waited to start this series.
Today we look back at the world of F1 and begin to look to the future. As we move up the grid, we’ll take a look back at how each team performed in 2023 and look ahead to the 2024 F1 season.
Haas, the only American team on the grid, at least for now, will start at the bottom of the table. It would be no exaggeration to say that this year has been an overwhelming one for Haas. With veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg set to replace Mick Schumacher before the start of 2023, and Kevin Magnussen already on board, Haas will now have two experienced drivers in the 2023 season. became.
result?
They finished last in the constructors’ championship with just 12 points.
Then, as 2024 began, lightning struck. Earlier this month, it was announced that Günter Steiner, the only team principal Haas has ever known and one of the team’s driving forces, would be leaving the club.Steiner has become a well-known figure in F1 circles thanks to being made the star of a Netflix documentary series drive to surviveAnd Netflix executives are no doubt wondering where to shift their focus going forward.
2023 Highlights: Canadian GP Qualifying
On a Saturday afternoon in June, everything went well for Haas and Hulkenberg.
In the end, the story for Haas in 2023 was the difference between qualifying pace and race pace. While the VF-23 was often strong during qualifying, especially in the hands of Hulkenberg, it was a much different story in the race.
That afternoon in Montreal, the team was dealing with wet weather, which made the strategy much more difficult. During the third and final qualifying session, Max Verstappen came out early and put in one lap, eventually taking pole position. However, just before more rain fell (ultimately leading to an early end to Q3), Hulkenberg produced an incredible lap of his own, moving into P2 and onto the front row alongside Verstappen.
But like the entire season, the joy didn’t last long. Hulkenberg was given a third place penalty for failing to slow down when the red flag came out when Oscar Piastri hit the wall. This meant Hulkenberg started the race in fifth place and ultimately finished outside the points.
It was such a season for the team.
Photo credit: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images
2023 Lowlight: Monaco Grand Prix
The streets of Monte Carlo have not been very appealing to Haas this season. It became something of a house of horrors for Haas. Both Magnussen and Hulkenberg failed to advance to Q1, starting from last place on a circuit where overtaking is important. Magnussen started the Monaco Grand Prix in 17th place, with Hülkenberg following him in 18th place.
The situation did not improve at all in the race. Magnussen made contact with Lance Stroll midway through the race, then crashed again, forcing an early retirement. As for Hulkenberg, he made contact with Logan Sargent early on and was ultimately given a five-second penalty for causing a collision. He was then given a 10 second penalty for failing to properly execute the first penalty.
In the end, Hulkenberg finished 17th and Magnussen 19th.
“Today we tried everything possible to get points. There is no point in finishing 12th, 13th or 14th, so at the end I stayed out and went full wet because you never know what could happen. I decided to take a gamble by pitting, but it didn’t work out,” Steiner said after the Monaco race. Grand Prix. “Yesterday’s race we lost in qualifying and we knew we wouldn’t be in the points unless something special happened. We tried, everyone worked hard to get it done. We got a penalty, I don’t know what it was for on the first lap, but again it was a lack of consistency from the FIA, but now it seems to be the norm. ”
Outlook for 2024
What a difference a week can make!
There have been big changes at Haas in recent days, not only with the departure of Steiner, but also with the departure of the team’s technical director Simone Resta. Ayao Komatsu, who previously served as the team’s engineering director, joins Steiner’s role.
This move sheds light on areas where the team needs to improve.
As mentioned above, lap pace was not an issue for Haas, but race pace certainly was. For the 2024 challengers, they need to do better in this department and avoid the tire deterioration issues that plagued them a season ago. When reports of Lesta’s departure surfaced, there was speculation that differences between Lesta and team owner Gene Haas were at the heart of the situation. Lesta wanted to focus on developing the VF-23 during last season, while Haas wanted to move forward with a similar vision to Red Bull’s RB19 for the 2024 season.
You can make a big decision when you sign a check.
They have two capable veteran drivers and a car that performed well at times on Saturday. If I can get my business sorted by Sunday, I can crawl out of the basement.
If not…
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Photo credit: Charles Coates/Getty Images
Person feeling the most pressure to perform in 2024: Ayao Komatsu
Until recently, Kevin Magnussen’s name was listed here.
Hulkenberg’s return shed new light on Haas’ driver line-up. Going back to 2022, Magnussen out-qualified Schumacher in 16 of 22 races, but that number reversed a season ago, with Hulkenberg leading 15-7 over his teammate in qualifying. Haas will need further reinforcement from Magnussen if they want to climb out of the cellar.
However, all that disappeared with Steiner’s dismissal. Ayao Komatsu is taking a big step forward here, and the spotlight will be on him throughout the season.
