Haas has arrived in Austin with a major update in its crates for its VF-24 contender that will also race with a tweaked livery in next weekend's US Grand Prix.
The exceptional four-week break between Singapore and Austin was a welcome holiday period for F1 drivers but teams remained hard at work at their bases preparing for the final stretch of the season.
Almost all outfits are expected to implement upgrades, and Haas is no exception with technical director Andrea De Zordo describing the team's Austin package as “our main update for the final part of the season.”
The changes will involve another step of development for the Vf-24's floor and bodywork according to the Haas engineer.
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“The target, as always, will be to improve aero load in order to make the car faster,” commented De Zordo.
“It's difficult to be doing a big step in lap time, so we're talking about small numbers, but in the tight midfield fight everything is an important step, and we hope to deliver.
“This is a development and further evolution of our package, not something new although the car will look a bit different.”
Haas is currently in seventh place in the Constructors' Championship standings, just three points behind RB but 15 points clear of Williams.
However, with six Grands Prix and three Sprint races to go, it's still all to play for in F1's tight midfield.
“Last year [in Austin] we didn't score a point, but it was a decent race for us and I think it should be a good race for us again,” De Zordo added.
“We're fighting for P6 and that's a very nice feeling. “We really need to put everything in we can to achieve that because it would be amazing for everyone on this team who's putting so much work into making this season a success.”
As it did last year, Haas will run a special American-themed livery on its car for its home race at The Circuit of the Americas, a design that will include the presence of the US outfit’s new partner Toyota Gazoo Racing.
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