The Haas Formula One team has revealed its new car, the VF-24, with a brief shakedown at Silverstone. Nico Hulkenberg took the wheel for the car’s first outing, marking the team’s initial track appearance for the 2024 season. The team shared a short video clip of the shakedown on social media, expressing their excitement about the sound of the car on track.

While Haas previously unveiled its new livery, the VF-24 was not showcased during the launch event. Instead, the team used a show car based on last year’s chassis. This shakedown provides the first glimpse of the VF-24 and allows the team to begin testing ahead of the upcoming season.

“It wasn’t just my role, we had a technical director leave as well, so there were two significant vacancies to fill,” he added, referring ot the promotion of chief designer Andrea de Zordo to replace Simone Resta.

“The timing of this transition period was not ideal; however, I’ve been very impressed with the maturity of everyone’s reaction,” he said. “In terms of car build and preparation for the test, it wasn’t a problem operationally.

The team plans to conduct a second shakedown in Bahrain before official pre-season testing begins. This additional testing opportunity is part of the promotional events allowed by Formula One regulations, enabling teams to gather crucial data and conduct initial assessments of their new cars.

The transition period for Haas has included changes in leadership, with Ayao Komatsu taking over as team principal following Guenther Steiner’s departure. Komatsu acknowledged the challenges of the short timeframe between the leadership change and the car’s debut but praised the team’s professionalism in handling the transition.

“We formalised and communicated this structural change as soon as we could,” he insisted. “Thanks to this we were able to keep the disruption to the minimum.”

Despite the changes and challenges, Komatsu cautioned against expecting immediate improvements in the team’s performance. He indicated that the VF-24 is unlikely to propel the team to the front of the grid and suggested that Haas may still be among the backmarkers when the new season begins in Bahrain.