By Alan Baldwin
(Reuters) – Haas became the first Formula One team to show off their new look for 2023 on Tuesday with growing optimism for the season ahead and U.S.-based MoneyGram now prominent as the title sponsor.
The online reveal of digital renders showed the Ferrari-powered car in a freshened up red, black and white colour scheme.
“It’s great that we’re first out of the gate to showcase our livery but our attention is firmly on getting the VF-23 on-track and preparing for the season ahead,” said team boss Guenther Steiner.
“We really have something to build on following last year’s performances.”
The new car will run for the first time at Silverstone on Feb. 11 before testing in Bahrain from Feb. 23-25. The season then starts at the Sakhir circuit on March 5.
Haas finished eighth out of the 10 teams in 2022 after occupying last place in 2021.
They have a new driver pairing with Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen staying but German veteran Nico Hulkenberg replacing young compatriot Mick Schumacher.
SURPRISE POLE
Magnussen provided a highlight of the team’s 2022 season with a surprise pole position in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
“We head into a new season buoyed by some strong team performances last year and a return to points paying finishes,” said owner Gene Haas.
“The aim for the 2023 season is naturally to do that more consistently and with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg I certainly believe we’ve got an experienced driver pairing more than capable of delivering those points on a Sunday.”
The team announced a multi-year deal for payments and money transfer company MoneyGram International Inc. to be their title sponsor last October.
The team’s previous two title sponsorships ended prematurely, a deal with drink brand Rich Energy terminated after just 14 races in 2019 and Russian Potash producer Uralkali dropped last year following the invasion of Ukraine.
The arrival of MoneyGram, active in 200 countries, starts a new era for the team.
“I think things have evolved in a very positive way. The energy around the team is incredibly vibrant, they are very, very excited and fired up,” MoneyGram’s chief executive Alex Holmes told Reuters.
“I think they feel they are at a place now where they are going to have a very level playing field to compete from.”
Champions Red Bull are next up, launching their RB19 car in New York on Friday. The team also have a U.S.-based title sponsor in software giant Oracle.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ken Ferris)
