The Haas VF-24 is the first car of this 2024 season to show itself to the eyes of enthusiasts. The Haas environment, as we know, has experienced a tumultuous start to the year. In addition to former Team Principal Gunter Steiner and Simone Resta, other technicians – including Matteo Pirracini – should say goodbye to the small American team. However, the VF-24 was a long-awaited car as it often anticipates solutions that we will later see on Ferrari.
Few new features at the front.
The new Haas is a step well beyond the first redesign of the aerodynamic design from Austin last year. The front part of the VF-24 does not present substantial divergences with the 2023 single-seater.
Work had already been done to redesign the front wing at the end of the season.This should indicate what we will also see in part on the Ferrari SF-24.
The front wing is the version seen by Austin regarding the five-flap design. It maintains – at least in the photographic renderings released by Haas – the supports used as diverters for the outwash introduced last season by Ferrari first and then by the VF-23.
There is little to highlight regarding the design of the nose, as the changes compared to the 2023 version are practically miniscule.
Chassis adapted to match the Red Bull concept.
The most interesting part of the car is certainly the new chassis, which, as was now known, has undergone important work to lighten and rearrange the anti-intrusion cones.
The important limitation that Ferrari and Haas shared in 2023 was the notorious lower cone. This spec was was raised compared to the designs of the rest of the grid, and which proved to be a major obstacle in being able to carve out the Red Bull-style undercut.
On the VF-24, we see a preview of what we will also appreciate on the red one in Maranello on February 13th, and the car on which Simone Resta also worked until the winter fully embraces the winning concept carried out in Milton Keynes.
With regards to the chassis, the supports of the rear-view mirrors have also been revised. On the VF-24, they appear like an “inverted L”, very similar to the design of last year’s Ferrari SF-23.
Regarding the front suspension, there are no particular differences from the previous year’s car. As is known, Haas purchases various transferable components directly from Maranello, including the entire front suspension. In the rendering shown, the swinging arms remain in a classic arrangement without any search for an anti-sinking design.
Triangular air scope but with “add-ons”
One of the small technical changes between 2023 and 2024 concerned the parameters and checks required in terms of safety regarding the roll-bar crash tests.
On the Haas VF-24, the air intake of the Ferrari Power Unit remains in a triangular shape. However, the “ears” have been added for the cooling area, a sign that some internal elements have been relocated.
Ferrari and Haas were the only ones on the grid in 2023 with a triangular air scope, and with cooling purely to be allocated through the vents of the bellies.
At Haas with the VF-24, it was probably decided to relocate the masses above the plenum area of the 2024 Ferrari Power Unit. This was already done by the Alfa Romeo C44, another Ferrari-powered car
The slender upper part was perfect to match the concept of the Ferrari F1-75, with bellies hollowed out in the upper edge and a distribution of bulk that was more vertical than longitudinal. This choice has clearly lost its meaning if you want to adopt a Red Bull concept.
Bonnet with tray and goodbye gills
As far as the aerodynamics are concerned, a large part of the car can be seen as a copy of Red Bull solutions. The bellies are largely a copy of the RB19, both in the lower and front parts (entrances and undercut) and in the rearmost part.
There is little to analyze about the edge of the floor and the Venturi entrances through the renderings, which usually tend to hide as much as possible the details that will then be present on the real car that we will see on the track.
The initial drift of the bottom has also been modified to resemble the design of the Newey-Waché car, as have all the sides. The perfecting work began with the Austin update.
Moving further and further towards the rear, we notice how the large gills have disappeared, replaced by a more “open” design of the bonnet. The design of the rear – bonnet aside – remains, as usual, well hidden in the details of the diffuser and rear suspension.
The same is unchanged in the layout compared to previous years (pull-rod). Additionally, the axle mechanics will be the same as those on the Ferrari SF-24.
The rear wing is of the conventional single support design, while the endplates adopt many of the solutions seen last year on both McLaren and Red Bull.
Authors: Rosario Giuliana
Co-Author: Giuliano Duchessa
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
