Haas have unveiled their cars for the 2022 season after being boosted by new recruits from Ferrari. The American team debuted in F1 in 2016, but endured a torrid campaign in 2021 with neither Mick Schumacher or Nikita Mazepin able to pick up a single point in the 22 Grand Prix races.
Schumacher, son of the iconic seven-time world champion Michael, was in his debut season in F1, but despite his struggles has been named by the Scuderia as a reserve driver for 2022.
Russian driver Mazepin, for whom 2021 also represented an inaugural year in F1, fared worst than Schumacher, regularly last in qualifying and races and missing the season-finale in Abu Dhabi after testing positive for Covid.
However, Technical Director Simone Resta has been overseeing the design of the new VF-22 vehicle, which should ensure more competitive displays from the Haas duo to this time around.
Furthermore, the new campaign will see an overhaul in the sport’s technical regulations, with the new rules designed to make racing more competitive and narrow the gap between the top teams and the rest.
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“It has also been a challenge at times when creating such a radically different car when internally we’re also creating new processes and structures as the team has been created. It’s hard to appreciate starting with an entirely new department and being tasked to lead such a project.”
However, Resta added that he was “proud” of all team members and believed they would continue to learn and progress as the season wore on.
Schumacher, 22, seemingly approves, taking to Twitter to express his satisfaction with his car, with pre-season testing set to get underway on February 23 in Barcelona.
“My ride everyone!” he posted, alongside four images of the vehicle.
