Haas F1 Team Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Advance

Haas F1 Team

The checkered flag has yet to drop on the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship, but after 20 races spread across the globe, the finish line is clearly in sight as the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is set for Dec. 1 at Yas Marina Circuit. 

With only five point-paying results in the 20 races run so far, Haas F1 Team occupies ninth in the constructors’ standings, 29 points behind eighth-place Alfa Romeo and 27 points ahead of last-place Williams. The performance ended a burgeoning trajectory for the only American team competing in Formula One. After back-to-back eighth-place finishes in the 2016-2017 constructors’ standings where Haas F1 Team scored 29 points and 47 points, respectively, the organization battled at the top of the midfield in 2018, finishing an impressive fifth in the  standings and nearly doubling its points haul from the year before with a final tally of 93 points.

The success of 2018 has made 2019 a bitter pill to swallow, but the silver lining of enduring a season of adversity is that it has made Haas F1 Team a battle-tested and resilient group – one that is ready to bounce back in 2020.

The fourth-year outfit turned its attention to 2020 in late August following the FIA-mandated summer shutdown. While it still worked to get the most out of its current car, the learnings of what didn’t work in 2019 have helped shape the direction of next year’s car. That said, opportunities to perform and learn even more exist before the final checkered flag in Abu Dhabi. This was absolutely the case in the penultimate Brazilian Grand Prix a fortnight ago where Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen advanced to the third and final round of qualifying for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

The opportunity for more bright spots like the one earned in Brazil exist in Abu Dhabi. Grosjean owns three point-paying finishes at Yas Marina Circuit – fourth in 2013, ninth in 2015 and another ninth last year. And Magnussen earned his best Abu Dhabi Grand Prix result last year when he finished 10th behind his teammate as Haas F1 Team scored its fifth double-points result of 2018.

The race begins at twilight and ends under the lights, providing an appropriate environment for a 2019 season in its own twilight. 

Haas F1 Team PR

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