Haas are the new boys in town in Formula 1, making their debut in 2016 and exploding onto the scene with a sixth place finish in their first race. They get their name from the team's owner, Gene Haas, who has been synonymous with NASCAR and tooling machines for many years before he made the leap to F1 in 2016.
They have been through many ups and downs throughout their short history. In particular 2019 seems to have recently been filled with drama around the team's title sponsor, Rich Energy.
They have had struggles on track too, but they have a potent car which is something that you can put to good use in F1 2019. Haas still maintain a close relationship to Ferrari that allows them to buy standardized parts from them, something which rival teams have never really been happy with.
The team placed fifth in the 2018 title race, but what can you do with them in F1 2019? Fourth? Can you even take the top spot?
READ MORE: F1 2019 setup guides
Table of Contents
Expectations
The Haas team are firmly placed in the midfield in F1 2019, despite their real-life struggles this season. So the team expects you to score a lot of points for them, and to try and bolster their position in what has proven to be an incredibly tight midfield in 2019. The car ranks in the top six in the current pecking order, with teams such as McLaren and Renault their immediate rivals in the championship. So those are your first targets whom you should set about overcoming. You will of course be doing this via the R&D screen and undertaking the practice programs in the game.
Also, Haas like their drivers to be more maverick than most. Look at Kevin Magnussen in real life, a bit of a standout among the crowd. A no-nonsense racer that says what he wants. Be like that, be flamboyant in your interviews with the media, but don’t be too controversial. Other teams may not like it if you decide to move on one day.
READ MORE: F1 2019 track guides
Development
The Haas car is a solid all-round machine at the beginning of the game. You have the Ferrari power unit, which in the real-life world is now the class of the field. You start career mode as the fourth-best car, and fifth in all areas apart from aerodynamics, so that should be your main focus point at the start of season 1.
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Future
Haas have a trickier development curve due to how they have built themselves up and how they outsource their development, perhaps hence the lower level aero at the start of the season. Make good use of that Ferrari power unit, it will put you in a good place at tracks where your Renault-powered rivals will struggle, at least early on. That means you should be targeting a good points haul at Bahrain and Azerbaijan.
The car is a good all-rounder, so be as consistent as possible and try to hound the tail end of the big three teams.
Make Red Bull your initial goal, they are the easiest to catch out of that trio. Give it two or three seasons and you will be in the championship battle. At the least, in season two you want consistent podiums. In season three you want wins. Season four then could be your year. It's a long road to triumph with Haas, but if you stick at it you will be the hero who won their maiden championship.
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