Haas VF-16

Haas VF-16

The Haas VF-16, driven by Romain Grosjean, during the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Haas
Designer(s)	Rob Taylor (Chief Designer) Ben Agathangelou (Chief Aerodynamicist)
Successor	Haas VF-17
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon-fibre monocoque with honeycomb structure
Suspension (front)	Carbon fibre wishbone with pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers
Suspension (rear)	same as front
Length	5,200 mm (205 in)
Width	1,800 mm (71 in)
Height	950 mm (37 in)
Wheelbase	3,500 mm (138 in)
Engine	Ferrari 061 [1] 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine, limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motor	Kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems
Transmission	Ferrari eight-speed sequential semi-automatic paddle-operated gearbox
Battery	Ferrari lithium-ion batteries
Weight	702 kg (1,548 lb)
Fuel	Shell V-Power
Lubricants	Pennzoil Ultra Platinum
Brakes	Brembo
Tyres	Pirelli P Zero (dry), Pirelli Cinturato (wet)
Competition history
Notable entrants	Haas F1 Team
Notable drivers	8. Romain Grosjean 21. Esteban Gutiérrez
Debut	2016 Australian Grand Prix
Last event	2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F/Laps 21 0 0 0 0

The Haas VF-16 is a Formula One car designed and built by Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara on behalf of Haas F1 Team for use in the 2016 Formula One season. ^[2] The car was powered by Ferrari's 2016-specification power unit, the Ferrari 061. ^[3] It was driven by former Lotus driver Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez, who has made his return to competition after spending the 2015 season as a testing and development driver for Ferrari. ^[4] The car made its competitive debut at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.

This was the first Formula One car to use Pennzoil lubricant.

Development history

Naming

The origin of naming the car "VF-16" is derived from the first CNC machine manufactured by Haas Automation, the VF-1, launched in 1988. The "V" stands for vertical, which is an industry standard designation for a vertical mill. Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, added "F1" to the name to unofficially designate it as the company's "Very First One". ^[5]

Design

Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara was contracted to design the VF-16 in December 2014, shortly after Haas' entry was accepted to the grid. Team founder Gene Haas chose to structure the team as a client of Scuderia Ferrari, and as a result, the VF-16 shares several elements—including the gearbox and suspension—with Ferrari's 2016 entry, the SF16-H. ^[6]

Testing

The VF-16 was unveiled at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of the first pre-season test. Its early testing phase was overshadowed by a front wing failure, fuel feed problems and complications surrounding a turbo failure. ^[7]

In competition

The VF-16 made its competitive début at the Australian Grand Prix, where it made an inauspicious start to its season when Romain Grosjean collided with Rio Haryanto in pit lane during practice. Both Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez were eliminated early in qualifying, with both VF-16s occupying the penultimate row of the grid. During the race, Grosjean ran as high as tenth when Gutiérrez collided with Fernando Alonso, causing Alonso's McLaren to roll over and prompting the race to be temporarily stopped while the scene of the accident was cleaned up. The team took advantage of the race stoppage to switch Grosjean's strategy, putting him on the most durable tyre compound available and running him to the end of the race on one set of tyres. Grosjean finished sixth, scoring eight World Championship points and making Haas the first start-up team to score points on their début since Toyota in 2002. ^{[N 1]}

At the next round in Bahrain, Grosjean qualified in ninth place and went on to beat his Melbourne result by finishing fifth. Gutiérrez qualified in thirteenth place, but once again retired from the race, this time with brake problems. ^[8]

Grosjean also scored points at the Russian, Austrian and United States Grands Prix, while Gutiérrez could only manage a best finish of eleventh at a handful of races. ^{[9] [10]} He was not retained by the team for 2017, being replaced by Kevin Magnussen. ^[11]

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	Grands Prix																					Points	WCC
					AUS	BHR	CHN	RUS	ESP	MON	CAN	EUR	AUT	GBR	HUN	GER	BEL	ITA	SIN	MAL	JPN	USA	MEX	BRA	ABU
2016	Haas F1 Team	Ferrari 061	P
				Romain Grosjean	6	5	19	8	Ret	13	14	13	7	Ret	14	13	13	11	DNS	Ret	11	10	20	DNS	11	29	8th
				Esteban Gutiérrez	Ret	Ret	14	17	11	11	13	16	11	16	13	11	12	13	11	Ret	20	Ret	19	Ret	12
Sources: [12]

Footnotes

1. Although both Red Bull Racing and Brawn GP scored points on their début in 2005 and 2009, both teams had previously competed under different names before being bought by Red Bull and Brawn.

References

1. "Bourne Identity". Haas F1 Team. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
2. Anderson, Ben (14 April 2014). "Gene Haas eyes Dallara chassis tie-up for F1 entry". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publication . Retrieved 12 March 2016.
3. "Ferrari - Haas, una collaborazione che funziona bene". Motorsport.it (in Italian). Motorsport. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
4. "2016 Final F1 Entry List". fia.com. FIA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
5. "Introducing the VF-16". Haas F1 Team. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
6. Kalinauckas, Alex. "More than a B-team – the story so far of Formula 1's newest team: Haas F1". James Allen on F1. James Allen. Archived from the original on 2020-11-22. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
7. Kalinauckas, Alex. "Valtteri Bottas pips Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona testing as Haas F1 suffers". James Allen on F1. James Allen.
8. Newman, Stuart (3 April 2016). "Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 2016 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights, Reaction". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
9. "2016 Driver Standings: Romain Grosjean". Formula 1. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
10. "2016 Driver Standings: Esteban Gutierrez". Formula 1. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
11. "Gutierrez announces Haas departure". Formula1.com. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
12. "All championship race entries, in a Haas VF-16". ChicaneF1. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
    "Haas VF-16". StatsF1. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
    "2016 Formula One World Championship - Constructors' Championship". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.