Haas to run split-spec F1 cars at German GP

The Haas Formula 1 team will run dual aerodynamic configurations on its cars as part of trial to find performance at this weekend’s German Grand Prix.

Having slipped to ninth in the constructors’ championship after failing to score any points since the Monaco Grand Prix in May, Haas is splitting aero-specs on its cars in Hockenheim in a bid to get to the bottom of its perplexing recent form.

Kevin Magnussen’s VF-19 will feature a new upgrade, which the team says is “designed to improve downforce and the car’s overall driveability”, while teammate Romain Grosjean will continue using the Melbourne-spec package he reverted to for the British Grand Prix.

“We’ve changed a few parts on the car,” Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said about the updates to Magnussen’s car.

“There’s not one specific area we’re targeting. We’re just making the car, in general, better, more drivable with more downforce, which always helps you go fast.

“We’re trying to make the tires work better for us. That’s the biggest improvement we can make at the moment – getting into the window of the tire – and that’s got a lot to do with downforce.

“We’re putting a lot of effort into improving the situation we’re in,” he added. “We need to get the understanding of where we are and where we didn’t work in the right direction. That’s the thing we have to do.”

Magnussen hopes the changes will enable Haas to end the first half of the season “on a high” but is remaining grounded about the American squad’s chances in Germany.

“We’re still looking to experiment and learn as much as possible with the issues we’re having. Hopefully, the upgrades we bring to Hockenheim will give us not only more answers, but also more performance.”

Romain Grosjean said the team’s back-to-back experiment at Silverstone left Haas with a “tough call”, but stressed it was “a good test to do.”

“When we brought the upgrade in Barcelona, I wanted to revert back on the Friday evening,” he explained.

“For me, the feeling was not so good from the rear end, especially through medium- and high-speed corners. The feeling hasn’t been good in those corners since then.

“Going back to the Melbourne package, the car felt a lot better in those regions. It shows that something was not working as expected.

“Now the aero guys are looking into it, but we know it’s been our weakness. Obviously, that launch package has some limitations also. It has less downforce, but it has better stability.”