Haas VF-16

Haas VF-16

The Haas VF-16, driven by Romain Grosjean, during the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Haas
Successor	Haas VF-17
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon-fibre monocoque with honeycomb structure
Suspension (front)	Carbon fibre wishbone with pushrod-activated torsion springs and rockers
Suspension (rear)	same as front
Length	5,200 mm (205 in)
Width	1,800 mm (71 in)
Height	950 mm (37 in)
Wheelbase	3,500 mm (138 in)
Engine	Ferrari 061 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine, limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motor	Kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems
Transmission	Ferrari eight-speed sequential semi-automatic paddle-operated gearbox
Battery	Ferrari lithium-ion batteries
Weight	702 kg (1,548 lb)
Fuel	Shell V-Power
Lubricants	Pennzoil Ultra Platinum
Brakes	Brembo
Tyres	Pirelli P Zero (dry), Pirelli Cinturato (wet)
Competition history
Notable entrants	Haas F1 Team
Notable drivers	8. Romain Grosjean 21. Esteban Gutiérrez
Debut	2016 Australian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 21 0 0 0 0

The Haas VF-16 is a Formula One car designed and built by Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara on behalf of Haas F1 Team for use in the 2016 Formula One season. The car was powered by Ferrari's 2016-specification power unit, the Ferrari 061. It was driven by former Lotus driver Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez, who has made his return to competition after spending the 2015 season as a testing and development driver for Ferrari. The car made its competitive debut at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix.

The origin of naming the car "VF-16" is derived from the first CNC machine manufactured by Haas Automation, the VF-1, launched in 1988. The "V" stands for vertical, which is an industry standard designation for a vertical mill. Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, added "F1" to the name to unofficially designate it as the company's "Very First One".

Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara was contracted to design the VF-16 in December 2014, shortly after Haas' entry was accepted to the grid. Team founder Gene Haas chose to structure the team as a client of Scuderia Ferrari, and as a result, the VF-16 shares several elements—including the gearbox and suspension—with Ferrari's 2016 entry, the SF16-H.

The VF-16 was unveiled at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of the first pre-season test. Its early testing phase was overshadowed by a front wing failure, fuel feed problems and complications surrounding a turbo failure.

The VF-16 made its competitive début at the Australian Grand Prix, where it made an inauspicious start to its season when Romain Grosjean collided with Rio Haryanto in pit lane during practice. Both Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez were eliminated early in qualifying, with both VF-16s occupying the penultimate row of the grid. During the race, Grosjean ran as high as tenth when Gutiérrez collided with Fernando Alonso, causing Alonso's McLaren to roll over and prompting the race to be temporarily stopped while the scene of the accident was cleaned up. The team took advantage of the race stoppage to switch Grosjean's strategy, putting him on the most durable tyre compound available and running him to the end of the race on one set of tyres. Grosjean finished sixth, scoring eight World Championship points and making Haas the first start-up team to score points on their début since Toyota in 2002.