Formula 1 digest: Haas unveils new VF-18 car for 2018 season

Haas launches 2018 car

The US-based Haas F1 Team have revealed their car for the 2018 season. Called the VF-18 it was officially unveiled today via the team’s social media and digital platforms.

Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, said: “People see what we can do in Formula One and people believe Haas Automation can build world-class machine tools. Being a Formula One participant brings a level of credibility that you just won’t get through traditional advertising.”

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Guenther Steiner, team principal, added that the VF-18 carries the “significant addition of the halo” and a “drastic reduction in the sharkfin”. Steiner said: “The biggest part of the car’s evolution was the addition of the halo. It took quite a bit of study by the aerodynamicists, but the designers had to work hard to modify the chassis so the halo could survive the mandated loads.”

Williams Racing set to unveil the FW41

There’s just one day to go until Williams Racing takes the wraps off their new car – the FW41 – in London tomorrow. Chief technical officer Paddy Lowe, who rejoined the team last March, told Autosport.com that they were planning “substantial changes” to the car in a bid to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish in the constructors’ championship.

Ricciardo: Red Bull are ready to attack

Red Bull have announced that the unveiling of the RB14 will be held on Monday, 19 February. Speaking ahead of the launch, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo says that the team are ready to attack this year and will fight to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari. Quoted by Autosport.com, he said: “I feel there is a good intensity [and] we know we have got some work to do if we really want to achieve what we want. We know we have some desires to attack this year – we should be able to fight more often – time will tell. But I am confident.”

Halo is a big challenge for McLaren

The halo cockpit safety device is being introduced in the new season and is providing some challenging times for the F1 teams. McLaren chief engineering officer Matt Morris told F1i.com that the team have had some “heart-stopping moments” with halo testing. He said: “It has been a big challenge. The loads are very, very high. We always knew it was going to be a challenge and we invested some time and money up front to do quite a lot of test pieces. There were quite a few heart-stopping moments when doing the static test that comes in from an oblique angle – where it takes the weight of a London Bus. When you see that test going on, it is pretty scary with the amount of load going in there, which it is designed to do.”

F1 2018: key dates

F1 car launches

When will the 2018 car launches take place?

• 14 February: Haas
• 15 February: Williams
• 19 February: Red Bull
• 20 February: Sauber, Renault
• 22 February: Mercedes, Ferrari
• 23 February: McLaren
• 26 February: Toro Rosso
• To be confirmed: Force India

2018 testing

Pre-season testing

• 26 February-1 March: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
• 6-9 March: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona

In-season testing

• 15-16 May: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
• 31 July-1 August: Hungaroring, Budapest

2018 F1 Grand Prix schedule

The 2018 season has 21 races on the calendar:

• 25 March: Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne
• 8 April: Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir
• 15 April: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai
• 29 April: Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku
• 13 May: Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
• 27 May: Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco
• 10 June: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal
• 24 June: French Grand Prix, Le Castellet
• 1 July: Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg
• 8 July: British Grand Prix, Silverstone
• 22 July: German Grand Prix, Hockenheim
• 29 July: Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest
• 26 August: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps
• 2 September: Italian Grand Prix, Monza
• 16 September: Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay
• 30 September: Russian Grand Prix, Sochi
• 7 October: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka
• 21 October: United States Grand Prix, Austin
• 28 October: Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City
• 11 November: Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo
• 25 November: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina