Grosjean shakes down new Haas in simulator

Romain Grosjean recently got a chance to sample Haas' 2016 contender, albeit in Ferrari's simulator.

The technical partnership between the new American team and the Scuderia, which is supplying Haas' power unit and drive train this year, extends to full usage by Haas of Maranello's simulator installations.

Seeking to get a head's before Formula 1's first official test begins in Barcelona on February 22, Grosjean took to virtual reality to initiate work on the team's new car.

"The impressions were rather good," Grosjean told France's L'Equipe.

"As with any new car there were some teething technical problems to resolve, like the turbo lag, the energy recovered under braking, etc..

"The morning was spent on this, but once everything was settled we had the opportunity to run extensively in the afternoon."

Grosjean's time in the simulator was well spent as the Frenchman embarked on defining a basic set-up for the Haas chassis.

"We worked on the basic set-up which included braking and throttle response, differential settings, and various ride heights in relation to their aerodynamic impact compared to wind tunnel data.

The Haas driver did acknowledge however that while simulator work was necessary and useful, it could not predict exactly how a car would react once it hits the race track.

"While simulator work should be taken for what it's worth, I believe the car's foundation feels good."

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