Haas first team to reveal new look for 2023 - team will shakedown VF-23 car at Silverstone on February 11; Red Bull to launch car this Friday; Pre-season testing begins on February 22, Bahrain GP season opener on March 5 - all live on Sky Sports F1
Tuesday 31 January 2023 19:54, UK
Haas have become the first team to unveil their new look for Formula 1 2023.
Kickstarting the sport's launch season with an updated red, white and largely black livery which features new title sponsor MoneyGram, the US team revealed pictures of their new VF-23 car online on Tuesday ahead of a shakedown at Silverstone on February 11.
Their 2023 challenger - while not going through as big a refresh as last year after F1's rules overhaul - is expected to look significantly different, with Haas currently keeping their cards close to their chest.
They will be aiming to build on their best season since 2018 after finishing eighth in the championship last year, and have a new signing in Nico Hulkenberg to partner Kevin Magnussen, replacing Mick Schumacher.
World champions Red Bull will have the first full-scale launch this Friday, in New York.
Haas' reveal kickstarts three weeks of launches before pre-season testing begins on February 22-25.
The 2023 season then begins with the opening race, the Bahrain GP, on March 5.
Testing, as well as every practice, qualifying and race is all live on Sky Sports F1 this year.
After three years in the bottom two positions of the championship, Haas were one of the surprise packages at the start of 2022's revolution, scoring points in each of the first two races and notching fifth at the Bahrain season-opener.
There were only four points-scoring rounds after that start, however, and Haas eventually finished eighth - which was still their equal best finish since joining F1 back in 2016.
Still benefitting with a close-knit partnership with Ferrari, who supply their engines, the major change from Haas this year comes with Hulkenberg joining the team to form an experienced driver line-up with Magnussen.
Hulkenberg, 35, returns to F1 after three years off the grid, when his stock actually increased with his fleeting reserve appearances. While highly regarded - particularly for his junior career and stint with Force India - the German still holds the record for the most race starts (181) without a podium.
He replaces Schumacher, the son of F1 legend Michael, who had a solid two years with Haas but ultimately made too many costly mistakes in 2021, as well as being beaten by Magnussen who only joined the team as a last-minute replacement for Nikita Mazepin before last year's opener.
"I like the livery, it's undoubtedly a more elevated and modernised look which is fitting as we move into a new era alongside MoneyGram as our title partner," said team boss Guenther Steiner.
"It's an exciting time of year for Formula 1 and it's great that we're first out the gate to showcase our livery but our attention is firmly on getting the VF-23 on-track and preparing for the season ahead.
"We really have something to build on following last year's performances. The whole organisation has been working hard to reach this point and obviously in Kevin (Magnussen) and Nico (Hülkenberg) we have two proven points-scoring talents locked in behind the wheel. I can't wait to get started."
While there is no rules overhaul for next year like there was for 2022, there are subtle changes to the rules and cars that teams can take advantage of.
The most notable is a higher ride height. This is essentially lifting the cars higher off the ground to help reduce the bouncing 'porpoising' phenomenon that affected teams - most notably Mercedes - in 2022.
This is done by raising the floor edge and throat, while the diffuser edge has also been stiffened. There is also an additional sensor to effectively monitor porpoising.
While these are mostly for safety reasons and are expected to initially cost teams time due to a stiffer floor, it could also narrow the field with a higher ride height thought to have been key to Red Bull and Ferrari's 2023 cars.
The other changes to the cars revolve around outlawing designs such as Aston Martin's rear wing and Mercedes' front wing from 2023, and more safety additions.
The roll hoops, for example, have been strengthened following Zhou Guanyu's dramatic crash at Silverstone last year.
