Haas Performance in 2023: Back at the Bottom
The American team finished the season in last place in the constructor standings with only 12 points scored. After a glimmer of hope reignited in 2022, the flame may have possibly been extinguished for Haas.

Since 2019, the American team has only regressed in terms of points: 28 in 2019, three in 2020, and a complete zero in 2021. However, the previous season had rekindled hope for Haas, with an eighth place in the constructor’s championship (37 points scored and a pole position obtained by Kevin Magnussen at the Brazilian Grand Prix, as the icing on the cake).
But this 2023 season has been one of disappointment: Haas is once again the tenth and last team in the championship. They have only scored 12 points and have been left behind by Williams and AlphaTauri, respectively seventh and eighth in the constructor’s standings.
Performance of the race car
Haas’ objectives were to capitalize on this 2022 season, to get their head above water and above all, not to fall back in the rankings. While the VF-23 rarely managed to score points, the car had real potential in qualifying. The Q3 appearances by Nico Hülkenberg in Bahrain and Australia, as well as by Kevin Magnussen in Saudi Arabia, are proof of that.
The Dane finishes fourth in the qualifying session during the weekend in Miami. And if both drivers are eliminated in Q1 in Monaco, Hülkenberg achieves three consecutive Q3 appearances, with a P8 in Barcelona, a P2 in Canada on a wet track, and another P4 in the Shootout.
The last bright spot occurred in Singapore, with a double qualification in Q3, Magnussen placing sixth and Hülkenberg ninth. However, throughout the season, the car suffered from excessive tire degradation and the drivers rarely scored points.
Haas has only made one upgrade to their VF-23: it was during the 18th out of the 22 races of the season, the Austin Grand Prix. However, the performance was far from satisfactory, to the point that driver #27 decided to race in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi with the car that didn’t have the upgrades. The worst part was realizing that he was faster than Magnussen in the final race of the season, but still 28 seconds behind the tenth place.
Reliability
The single-seater is powered by a Ferrari engine, which is not the most reliable on the grid. Nico Hülkenberg’s power unit went up in smoke on the 12th lap of the main race of the Austrian Grand Prix. Kevin Magnussen suffered the same fate the following week at Silverstone.
During the Mexican Grand Prix, a suspension failure betrayed the Danish driver and the car crashed violently into the wall, causing a red flag to be raised.
Optimization of the strategy
It is obviously very difficult to shine with strategy when the race car is far from being able to score points.
However in Canada, Hülkenberg was in the points, but luck did not stay with the German. He returned to the pits just before the safety car came out and finished the race 15th. On the Red Bull Ring, a track where the American team achieves good results, the number 27 driver is the first to switch from intermediate tires to slicks during the Sprint race. He is now in sixth place and recovers three points.
Duels between teammates
Qualifications – Hülkenberg: 15; Magnussen: 7
Course – Hülkenberg: 13; Magnussen: 9
It can be a (big) surprise to see the German driver beating his teammate in the race and dominating him in qualifying, especially considering he hadn’t had a full season in F1 since leaving Renault in 2019. The Danish driver, on the other hand, was in his second consecutive season with the team.
The two experienced drivers have their contract for 2024, but at 36 and 31 years old, Hülkenberg and Magnussen may not have a long-term future in the sport. If the team continues to stagnate at the bottom of the standings, it is only a matter of time before Gene Haas decides to withdraw from F1.