Haas sure drivers will 'complement each other'

Gene Haas expects his driver line-up of Esteban Gutierrez and Romain Grosjean to "complement each other" this season.

Ahead of Haas' debut F1 season, the team has recruited Gutierrez from Ferrari and Grosjean from Lotus to ensure it has experience for its first year. With Haas having entered in to a close technical partnership with Ferrari, the team owner believes Gutierrez's role as reserve at Maranello last year will help him ensure Haas is making the most of the equipment available to it.

"Gutierrez has been a Ferrari test driver, so he’s up to speed with simulators and Ferrari equipment," Haas told Sports Business Daily Global. "He has driven some of the Ferrari cars, so he’s going to be a little bit further ahead.

"Grosjean as a current Formula 1 driver is going to be more familiar with the tracks, requirements and tyre strategies. We have none of that knowledge now. Most teams will develop a book as they go from race to race, year after year and you look at those notes. We don’t have a notebook, so we have to develop all of that.

"I think that’s where Romain will have an advantage, and then Gutierrez will have the advantage on the equipment side since he’s going to be more familiar with it. Those two guys together will be able to complement each other and give us a better package."

Haas will launch its first F1 car in the pit lane on the opening day of pre-season testing in Barcelona on February 22.

Scene at the Pirelli wet tyre test