Haas have unveiled their 2024 challenger the VF24, becoming the first team to do so this year.
The car has a darker look on its nose compared to last year’s car, though the team has retained the white, black and red colour scheme they have become most closely associated with over the years.
The car will be driven by Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg , whilst the team confirmed yesterday that their reserve drivers for 2024 would be Pietro Fittipaldi and Ollie Bearman. This season will be the first in the team’s history that will not feature fan favourite Guenther Steiner as team principal, with the Italian having left his role earlier last month.
The reveal comes after a disappointing season for the American team, having finished last in the constructors for the 2nd time in three years. There isn’t much optimism surrounding the car’s performance to start the season either, with new team principal Ayao Komatsu saying the team are “realistic” about their expectations for the car, and that “out of the gates in Bahrain, In still think we are going to be towards the back of the grid, if not last.”
He did however also state that “There’s a lot of work ahead of us to make progress and increase our performance but everyone here is highly motivated and eager to get on track with the VF-24. I know we’ll be maximizing our time in Bahrain with all the various items we need to push through. Bottom line, we can’t wait to get going and get the season underway.”
Team owner Gene Haas is “looking forward to seeing the VF-24 running and racing – In Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, we also know we’ve got a great pair of drivers behind the wheel, their experience will prove invaluable again as we develop our program through the year.
“We’ve used the off-season to put the processes in place to be better and ultimately improve our overall performance. Soon we get to see how we’re doing.”
