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Haas launches new VF17 ahead of F1 testing

Haas has launched its new car, the VF17, following a filming day at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday.

The F1 team published the first official photos of its car via an online launch on Sunday. The VF17 is Haas' second Formula One car after the American team made its debut in the championship last year.

The Dallara-built chassis features the swept-back wings that have become mandatory under F1's new regulations for 2017 as well as a thumb-like nose similar to the majority of cars launched this week.

The sidepods appear to bear some resemblance to the Ferrari, in that they have a deep undercut under the main opening, but the design is not as extreme as the SF70H.

The Haas VF17 shares as many common parts with the Ferrari SF70H as the regulations allow, part of Haas' ongoing technical partnership with Maranello. It is also the only car other than the factory Ferrari to be powered by an up-to-date Ferrari power unit.

However, the aerodynamic surfaces have been designed in-house by the team's growing aero department under Ben Agathangelou.

"The pedal box is the same, but all the rest is very different from last year's [VF16] car," said Guenther Steiner, Haas F1's team principal. "You always try to make a faster car, which is normally a lighter car. Now we can put on more ballast and get better weight distribution. The aero is completely new, as are the tyres, so we needed to have some built-in adjustability.

"Aesthetically, the car has a more aggressive look. It's lighter and more aerodynamically efficient. Everything we learned from our first car has been applied to our new car."

The livery features a darker shade of grey than last year as well as red, and a stylised grey, white and red pattern on the car's sharkfin. Kevin Magnussen will complete the first day of official testing in the new car on Monday.

Team owner Gene Haas said: "Being a Formula One participant brings a level of credibility that you just won't get through traditional advertising.

"People are kind of 'show me what you can do and then I'll believe in you'. That was the initial concept -- to convince people of our ability to do things others can't, and that translates into being a machine tool builder.

"Bigger, better, faster, lighter is what we strive for in the machining industry, and it's what we strive for in motorsports. People see what we can do in Formula One, and people believe Haas Automation can build world-class machine tools."

Incorporating "VF" into the name of the car is a nod to the history of Haas Automation, the team's title sponsor.

The first CNC machine manufactured by Haas Automation was the VF-1 in 1988. The "V" stands for vertical, which is an industry standard designation for a vertical mill. Gene Haas, who founded Haas Automation, added "F1" to the name to unofficially designate it as the company's "Very First One".