Black and gold returns to F1 as Haas reveal first livery of 2019; Colour change comes on the back of Rich Energy title sponsorship deal, with British company setting sights on Red Bull
Thursday 7 February 2019 19:19, UK
Haas have offered a first look at F1 2019 by revealing a striking black and gold livery for the new season.
The dramatic colour change for the American-owned team comes on the back of a title sponsorship deal with Rich Energy, a British energy drinks company. The firm has targeted challenging Red Bull "on and off track".
F1 launch week: When you'll see the 2019 cars
The new look was unveiled at an event in London, although Haas' actual 2019 car was not revealed. The VF-19 will instead be seen for the first time at winter testing later this month.
"This is the time of the season when you hope you've got designs right and you can be competitive straight away," said Gene Haas, Haas F1 founder and chairman.
"The new car looks distinctive, not only in terms of its colour scheme, but also with the new regulations in play. Hopefully those design changes brought in for 2019 will improve the racing on-track, and more importantly give us a shot at making more of an impact at each Grand Prix."
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F1 2019: All the key details
Haas are one of only two teams to retain their driver line-up from last season, with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen in tandem for the third campaign in a row.
New Haas sponsor aiming high
The Banbury-based team enjoyed their best-ever F1 season last year, just missing out on fourth after a close battle with Renault, and have improved in every campaign since joining the sport in 2016.
William Storey, the chief executive of Rich Energy, grabbed headlines at the launch by saying: "We're looking forward to taking Red Bull on both on and off the track", with his company competing in the same energy drinks market place as Red Bull.
"Formula 1 is a wonderful platform for us and we're with the best run team in my opinion and, equally importantly, lovely people," said Storey. "We're delighted to work with Haas and we want to do it on a very long-term basis."
Storey added: "Red Bull are a brilliantly-run business, Dietrich Mateschitz is a very clever guy and created a category in 1987, but we feel we have a better product and a better brand. We feel we have a really good opportunity to beat them, off the track."
Asked if challenging former champions Red Bull on the track was an achievable ambition, team principal Guenther Steiner added: "You have to try hard. If you have no targets you never achieve anything.
"It's an ambition. In racing they are very good, but you never know. Last year we had the fourth-fastest car and finished fifth, but the next one up was Red Bull.
"We can try. If you don't try you don't achieve it."
What's changing on the F1 2019 cars?
Haas revealed their new livery on last year's car, though it was fitted with a new-for-2019 front wing. Here's a reminder of those changes for this year...
The new front wing is 200mm wider, but has also been simplified in order to reduce turbulence. That should mean the cars can race closer together, thus increasing the chances of overtaking.
The FIA, the sport's governing body, are also hoping for a low 'outwash' potential - meaning less air is directed outside the wheels. If that's the case, the car behind will be able to get more grip to go through corners faster.
A simplified front brake duct works in tandem with the front wing, and the surface available for aerodynamic exploitation has been reduced. The change encourages designers to use the ducts for cooling, rather than aerodynamic gain.
The banning of 'blown axles', featured on the Ferrari and Red Bull cars from last year, will further smooth the airflow.
The taller, wider and simpler rear wings should generate more downforce at the back of the cars and improve airflow, allowing drivers to slipstream the cars in front more effectively.,
The rear wings can also now be fitted with a higher flap - which could increase the strength and power of DRS by 25%.
What's in an F1 livery?
Although only just entering their fourth F1 season, Haas have undergone several livery iterations already - but 2019's overhaul is the most wide-ranging of the lot...
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