Haas became the first F1 team to reveal their car for the 2023 season, as the VF-23 was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon.
Haas were the first team to reveal their 2023 livery, opting for a darker look that harks back to their first few seasons in F1 more than their more recent white-dominated liveries.
Guenther Steiner is looking forward to entering the 2023 F1 season with an experienced lineup after the team replaced Mick Schumacher with Nico Hulkenberg.
Steiner‘s frustration with Schumacher became more and more obvious after the German suffered some heavy crashes, but after three seasons out of the sport Hulkenberg represents a somewhat unknown quality as pre-season testing approaches.
“We really have something to build on following last year’s performances,” Steiner said. “The whole organization has been working hard to reach this point and obviously in Kevin [Magnussen] and Nico [Hulkenberg] we have two proven points-scoring talents locked in behind the wheel. I can’t wait to get started.”
Team chairman Gene Haas echoed Steiner‘s optimism. After a dour 2021 campaign with Nikita Mazepin well off the pace and Schumacher unable to make headway in the slowest car on the grid, it’s a big change from the mood around Haas in the 2022 pre-season.
“We head into a new season buoyed by some strong team performances last year and a return to points paying finishes,” Gene Haas said.
“The aim for the 2023 season is naturally to do that more consistently and with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg I certainly believe we’ve got an experienced driver pairing more than capable of delivering those points on a Sunday.”
Steiner: Haas looking good
The livery sticks to the black, red and white colour scheme that’s been synonymous with Haas for most of their time in F1.
Cleverly, it looks different from every angle, appearing white and red from the front but much darker from side-on. And Steiner liked what he saw, as the team aim to improve on their eighth-placed finish in the 2022 constructors’ championship.
“I like the livery, it’s undoubtedly a more elevated and modernized look,” Steiner added.
“I obviously share everyone’s enthusiasm around the livery unveil, not least as it’s a checkpoint in the pre-season calendar which means we’re another step closer to doing the thing we actually want to be doing – and that’s go racing.”
“It’s an exciting time of year for Formula 1 and it’s great that we’re first out the gate to showcase our livery but our attention is firmly on getting the VF-23 on-track and preparing for the season ahead.”
