Alfa Romeo

ne team trying to change an annus horribilis of 2019 into an annus mirabilis is Haas. From the first day of testing back in February with Kevin Magnussen at the wheel, the VF-20 looked a better package than its predecessor. But it did seem that Haas has a problem getting the C3 tyre to work over a long run at Barcelona compared to the harder C2. This seems to have been the squad’s Achilles’ heel last year and I’m not sure it is on top of the problem – it was one of the only teams not to break into the 1m16s during testing.

A couple of unfortunate breakages and a clutch issue hampered running during the second test, contributing to Haas racking up the fewest laps in total, Magnussen in particular having the least amount of running time.

Having said all this, the car didn’t look too bad through the final twisty section of the lap (if you ignore the

Onumber of times Romain Grosjean locked up at Turn 10), so it leaves me to believe that it’s the quick corners where it’s suffering. This is down to lack of downforce, which then compounds the theory that Haas can’t switch the tyres on sufficiently.

The architecture of the car shows that the team has concentrated a lot in channelling the air through the bargeboard area, but there’s such an array of elements that maybe this has not achieved what they were looking for once the air reaches the ‘Cokebottle’ area and the diffuser. Also, the changes to the rear wing and the V-shaped cut-outs in particular are contributing to drag rather than speeding the air and producing the downforce needed. Experimenting with different T-wings shows Haas is trying to help the rear-wing elements.

I don’t expect to see Haas any further up the grid, which is a pity as it seems the future of the team may lie in its performances this year.