Haas want to close the gap to Ferrari

Haas have been one of Formula One’s few success stories in recent years.

The modern era of Formula One has seen a struggle to get new competition into the sport.

Manufacturers see it as too expensive and independent teams chase a dream, but eventually succumb to a lack of competitiveness and eventually struggle financially.

But Haas have broken the mould, they have started from scratch and used the current regulations to their advantage.

They purchase as many parts as possible and have a close tie to Ferrari.

Whilst this might not typically display the true DNA of a true Formula One team, it has enabled them to both be competitive and successful.

Right from the start they achieved a top six finish in their first race and went on to accumulate, 5 top 10 finishes earning 29 points in 2016, finishing 8th in the Formula One constructors championship.

Last season they finished in the top 10, 13 times earning 47 points. They may not have climbed the table, but it was a solid enough second season despite a car that was notoriously hard to drive.

In 2018 though, American team boss Gene Haas is hunting for a vast improvement.

‘It’s no secret we use a lot of Ferrari equipment, so we’re using them as our baseline, We need to be within a half-second of the Ferraris in order for us to be competitive. he told motorsport.com.

‘We weren’t last year. I would say we were a second to a second-and-a-half slower than the Ferraris.

‘Overall, we were maybe two seconds off the pole qualifiers, so we need to knock a second off that if we really want to be competitive.’