Page 1 of 1 Following a successful 2018 season, which saw the Haas F1 Team finish fifth in the constructor's championship, the American team slipped down the order. In 2020, only three points were scored compared to the 93 earned just two seasons earlier. Much of the same was expected during the 2021 season as the regulations limited the development work to just two changes to keep the costs down before the all-new rules will come in effect at the start of the 2022 season.
The Haas F1 Team assessed the situation and decided to spend the precious resources on developing the new-for-2022 cars. Neither of the tokens available to upgrade the VF-20 were actually used when the 2021 specification VF-21 was created. The work focused only on the meeting the revised aerodynamic regulations. That included a new, tapered floor and less complicated barge boards.
Further hedging their bet, the team decided to sign two rookie drivers, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Not surprisingly, the two Haas VF-21s proved slowest of the lot during the opening race at Bahrain. Page 1 of 1