Haas Upgrades For Hungarian Grand Prix To Turn VF-22 Into 'White Ferrari'

Haas F1 will introduce a significant upgrade for the Hungarian GP, which will make the VF-22 visibly different and incorporate aspects of Ferrari’s challenger. 

Guenther Steiner has spoken at length about these upcoming upgrades for Haas, which will be the only major improvements the team will introduce this season.

Shortcomings in terms of manufacturing and financial resources mean Haas can only produce enough parts for one driver (Kevin Magnussen) this weekend, so the Dane will be responsible for demonstrating the potential of the team’s new direction.

The updated car will be heavily influenced by Ferrari, whose F1-75 machine has proven fast and consistent, maintaining its efficiency across various circuits.

Haas’s midfield rivals have proven vulnerable to specific types of circuit, whilst the American squad – at least for now – has been capable of scoring points throughout the season.

This must continue, as Haas cannot afford to fall back in the development race.

Ferrari’s increasing collaboration with Haas in the last two seasons has been extensively documented, with Ferrari setting up a “hub” in Maranello dedicated to assisting and collaborating with Haas.

It is thus of little surprise that AMuS’s Michael Schmidt has described the incoming upgrades as capable of turning the VF-22 into a “white Ferrari”, which will surely attract the attention of other teams if true.

Williams and Aston Martin have already demonstrated that teams will take inspiration from others when producing their updates.

However, they have also shown that emulating the designs of other teams is no silver bullet or guarantee of success, so it will be necessary for Haas to effectively incorporate Ferrari’s philosophy if they are to reap the rewards from this new package.