The Haas VF-21 is a

Formula One racing car A Formula One car or F1 car is a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel formula racing car used to compete in Formula One racing events. It has substantial front and rear wings, large wheels, and a turbocharged engine positioned behind the dri ...

designed and constructed by Haas to compete during the

2021 Formula One World Championship The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a List of motorsport championships, motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internat ...

. The car was driven by

Nikita Mazepin Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin ( rus, Ники́та Дми́триевич Мазе́пин, p=nʲɪˈkʲitə ˈdmʲɪtrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ mɐˈzʲepʲɪn; born 2 March 1999) is a Russian racing driver and motorsport executive, who most recently comp ...

and

Mick Schumacher Mick Schumacher (; born 22 March 1999) is a German racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine. Schumacher competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Switzerland, Schumacher is the son of seven-ti ...

, both of whom competed in their first season, with additional testing work carried out by

Pietro Fittipaldi Pietro Fittipaldi da Cruz (born 25 June 1996) is a Brazilian and American racing driver, who competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Pratt Miller Motorsports, and in the 2025 European Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series for Vector S ...

and

Kevin Magnussen Kevin Jan Magnussen (; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for W Racing Team, WRT and the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, RLL as a factory driver f ...

Design and development

The Haas VF-21 was powered by the 2021

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

power unit, the 065/6. Ferrari developed an in-season engine upgrade which was introduced to the works team at the

Turkish Grand Prix The Turkish Grand Prix () is a Formula One motor race held at Istanbul Park, designed by Hermann Tilke. The race was part of the Formula One World Championship between and , and to , the latter two being due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fel ...

. Haas declined to take the upgrade. The VF-21 chassis used in the 2021 season are modified VF-20 chassis, rather than new vehicles. The chassis, as it was raced at the

Bahrain Grand Prix The Bahrain Grand Prix (), officially known as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is a Formula One motor racing event in Bahrain. The first race took place at the Bahrain International Circuit on 4 April 2004. It made hist ...

, was identical to the VF-20 except for the downforce cuts mandated by the 2021 regulations. Haas introduced an upgrade package for the chassis at the

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (), also known as the Imola Grand Prix (), was a Formula One motor racing event held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, often referred to as "Imola" after the town where it is located. The even ...

, which would be the one and only change to the chassis in 2021. The upgrade package was not significant enough to require spending development tokens (introduced for development from 2020 to 2021 as a cost-saving measure), meaning Haas was the only constructor not to make any significant changes to its 2020 vehicle. Haas constructed a new chassis for Mazepin which was put into use at the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (; ; ) is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated ...

Livery

When the car's livery was revealed, it was a cause for controversy as it appeared to feature the

Russian flag The national flag of the Russian Federation (, ) is a tricolour of three equal horizontal bands: white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom. The design was first introduced by Tsar Peter the Great in 1693, and in 1705 it was ...

(due to the team having a Russian title sponsor and driver,

Uralkali Uralkali ( rus, Уралка́лий, p=ʊrɐɫ'kalʲɪj) is a Russian potash fertilizer producer and exporter. It is traded on the Moscow Exchange using the symbol, URKA. The company's assets consist of five mines and seven ore-treatment mills s ...

and

respectively).

Guenther Steiner Guenther Steiner (born 7 April 1965, ) is an Italian and American motorsport engineer and former team manager. Steiner was the Team Principal of Haas Formula One Team from 2016 to 2023, the managing director of Jaguar Racing from 2001 to 2003 ...

, the Haas team principal, stated that "it's the athlete who can't display the Russian flag, not the team. The team is an American team."

Complete Formula One results

( key)

;Notes * † Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed over 90% of the winner's race distance.

References

External links

Official website
2021 Formula One season cars VF-21 {{F1-stub