Technical analysis: Haas VF-16

As the first American Formula 1 team in 30 years, Haas's debut has inevitably attracted huge attention.

But it's not so much its nationality that makes Haas a trailblazer. It is the first team to make the most of the 'listed parts' regulations and produce only the minimum components required to be classed as an F1 constructor.

The VF-16 is the product of a triumvirate of Haas, Dallara and Ferrari technical input, but it does not - despite suspicions - look like an outright Ferrari 'B team'.

WHAT LISTED PARTS MEANS IN PRACTICE

Under the listed parts rule, Haas must make its own nose, monocoque, radiators and bodywork - the latter counting as all the surfaces in contact with the airflow around the car: so the wings, floor and diffuser and hundreds of other small bodywork parts.

Ferrari provides not only its usual customer powertrain package - engine, ERS and gearbox - but all the mechanical parts, the rear crash structure and even the steering wheel.

These are supplied by Ferrari as kits of parts to be assembled by Haas in Italy, where it has a base at partner Dallara's offices. Dallara is also engaged to design and manufacture the listed parts.

Though Haas's use of Ferrari's windtunnel is well known, it owns its 60 per cent scale model itself and stores it at Dallara when it's not in use.

There is no data transfer or connection between the design departments, so the bodywork is 100 per cent Dallara designed, albeit influenced by Ferrari's current ideas.

STRUCTURES

The main structures of the nose and monocoque are visibly different to the Ferrari, although they do have a host of Maranello parts fitted to them. Inevitably there will be similarities in areas such as the fuel tank and suspension where the Ferrari and Haas elements meet.

Haas has gone for a short, narrow and rounded, Mercedes-style, nose. This similarity to the champion team is evident through the turning vanes mounted under the nose being visible from the straight-ahead view of the car. A noticeable bump in the top of the nose is another hidden S-duct, something else it will have in common with Mercedes.

Much of the monocoque shape is constrained by the regulations, but Haas does deviate from Ferrari's design with a very different roll structure.

Again a Dallara-designed part, the rollhoop is undercut and its front legs are visible as the struts support the engine airbox inlet.

Equally, the structure and apertures around the front of the tub are unique. The car appears to be readied for an S-duct, but the exit is closed off. This exit should emerge from its own aperture in the tub, rather than through the nose or inside a vanity panel - which is a design unique to Haas. More detachable panels around the front of the tub provide access to the suspension's torsion bars.

Haas is a new team and the immaturity of the design is evident with the way the cockpit sides merge into the rear bodywork. Rather than taking the now common 'size zero' shrunken philosophy and creating a low line rear end, its profile extends rearward toward the exhaust pipes.

BODYWORK

Though Haas has its own windtunnel programme separate from Ferrari's, it's still fair to say there is similarity in concept between the teams here.

Haas has recruited a huge number of experienced F1 staff in Italy, so there's no surprise that some personnel will have come from Ferrari, but it's important to point out they are not seconded from Maranello on loan.

Starting from scratch, it's understandable the designers will take reference from ideas they put into practice at their previous employer, hence the similarity. We can expect this to diverge as the design team affirm their independence as full Haas/Dallara employees.

It's also fair to say that areas where the Haas looks reminiscent of the Ferrari are areas where the Ferrari looks reminiscent of the Mercedes. Think of these elements as common contemporary F1 design trends, rather than evidence of Haas/Ferrari overlap.

There is a great deal of complexity in the car's bodywork. The floor slots ahead of the rear wheels, while incomplete on the launch car photos, show multiple slots - a trend expected to be widely copied this year. This suggests that the car has the potential to be as quick as the midfield runners from the start of the season.

The last group of new F1 teams (HRT, Caterham, Manor - as they eventually became) needed several years of development to mature their designs to the same level as their midfield rivals.

In effect Haas has skipped this growing phase and gone straight to a high level of design optimisation by taking the listed parts route.

Initial testing has gone steadily and smoothly, aside from a front wing failure - which is not uncommon even for the top teams at the first tests.

Once its programme starts to focus on performance, rather than simply proving systems, we will see if the 'listed parts' approach is working. It certainly has the potential to leapfrog Haas past the backmarkers and straight into the midfield.