Haas VF-19 : Technical Details
- walee722
- Feb 8, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 8, 2019
Haas have revealed their 2019 F1 car and it's time to look at what they bring in store for the 2019 Formula One season.
Pre-season car launch is one of the most stressful times of the year for any team. The pressure is even higher this time because of the new 2019 regulations. The changes that were introduced by the FIA to improve overtaking and reduce the dirty air for better racing. Haas F1 team are the first ones to reveal their 2019 F1 challenger for the new Formula One season. Paired with a brand new Black and Golden livery due to their partnership with Rich Energy, they released some renders of the new Haas VF-19. So now, we take a close look at some of the details on the car.
The biggest change on front for 2019 F1 cars are the simplified and wider front-wings. Here we can see a much simpler front-wing compared to what we had previously. Cascades and vertical flow-straighteners have been outlawed by the 2019 rule-book to reduce outwash effect. The wing now has 5 elements with two stabilizers per side under the wing and the end-plates are bent outward.
More on the front, the new nose is sleeker. And there is an S-duct present, very much inspired from 2018 Ferrari SF71-H. The air inlet for the S-duct is not visible but the exit can be seen at the top of the vanity panel. The brake ducts are also simpler with no elements for outwash because the new regulations do not allow it.
However, the rims of the car appear to have dual walls. It is a possible tactic for introducing a blown-axle. Also, the rim base on the rear wheel has a small space which might be Haas' own take on the "controversial" Mercedes rim design which was being used to regulate rear tyre temperatures.
Moving further up on the front, the wishbones of the front axle are higher. Due to new regulations, the bargeboards are lower and start 100 mm earlier. The sidepod deflector appears to be connected to the bargeboard area.
The new mirrors are mounted horizontally unlike the previous car which had the mirrors mounted vertically. For 2019, the camera position has also been changed. The camera is now mounted higher. Apart from all that, it appears to have retained much of the Ferrari-style sidepod design that was introduced last year.
The wheelbase for the 2019 car is longer because the maximum fuel capacity for full race distance has been increased to 110 kg, so the fuel tank is now bigger as well. Longer wheelbase also means the car will have a lower rake, meaning a lower angle of attack. But more surface area will be available for aerodynamic wizardry.
Coming towards the rear of the VF-19, a T-wing can be seen which is unmistakably similar to that of the 2018 Ferrari. Along with that, the wastegates are stacked on top of the exhaust, again much like the Ferrari of last year.
The rear suspension looks very similar to the concept introduced by McLaren last year. A lot of teams copied McLaren's solutions in 2018 and it could be a similar case in 2019.
And then there is the massive rear wing, which is 70 mm higher and 100 mm wider than before. The slots on top of the end-plates are absent because of the new regulations.
These changes introduced to the new car are not small in any way. By removing complex elements on the front-wing, the whole airflow going over the car has changed dramatically. But with these wider wings, some lost downforce can be salvaged. The 2019 F1 cars may not be as slow as initially reported. A lot of teams have apparently hit their respective 2018 downforce targets, including Haas. More information will come once the cars hit the track at the first Barcelona test.
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