The Haas F1 Team put itself ahead of the F1 field with a surprise release of images of its 2018 halo-equipped VF-18 car.
In addition to the halo, the Ferrari-powered charger 's main change with its 2017 predecessor is the absence of last year's ubiquitous shark fin which has been banned for 2018.
Haas team principal says the new car is logical step forward from last year, with no radical evolutions.
"The biggest part of the car's evolution was the addition of the halo," he said.
"It took quite a bit of study by the aerodynamicists, but the designers had to work hard to modify the chassis so the halo could survive the mandated loads.
"The total minimum weight of the car increased because of the halo, and there's a higher centre of gravity simply because of the halo's position. But, everyone is in the same boat," added Steiner.
©Haas
"The regulations stayed pretty stable between 2017 and 2018, so the VF-18 is an evolution of our car from last year. It's less about reinvention and more about refinement.
"You see elements we had from last year on the car this year."
Haas is targeting a better exploitation its car's potential this season, with tyre usage a main focal point.
"Our 2017 car was actually pretty good, but we didn't always get the best out of it, and that's what we aimed to change in 2018," he explained.
"We got the car as light as possible to carry more ballast. We were able to do a better job of putting the weight where we wanted it."
Bigger. Better. Faster. Lighter.
Introducing, the #VF18. pic.twitter.com/sMhqW8WpQ8
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) February 14, 2018
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