Last year's VF-23 was somewhat peculiar; although it showed great pace in qualifying in Nico Hulkenberg's control, tyre management issues plagued it in the races. The drivers stated that, to make it to the end on conventional strategies, they had to stop racing the cars around Haas and effectively pin their hopes on the whims of fortune.
This year's car is a different prospect. The team's test programme in Bahrain eschewed performance running in a concerted effort to get a grasp of Pirelli's range of tyre compounds, which has given the team much more presence in the fight over minor points placings.
