The focus of the VF-18's design was to produce a more stable chassis than its predecessor, the VF-17, with the aim of building a car capable of producing more consistent performances between rounds. To do this, Dallara worked to reduce the weight of the chassis as much as possible, allowing Haas more freedom in using ballast to influence the car's weight distribution. The car was subject to scrutiny following its performances in pre-season testing and free practice sessions at the
2018 Australian Grand Prix. Questions were raised over similarities between the VF-18 and the
Ferrari SF70H, the car entered by Haas' partner
Ferrari in as the sporting and technical regulations ban the use of "customer cars", or cars developed by one constructor and sold on to another team. Team principal
Guenther Steiner dismissed the claims, responding to critics by arguing that the team had only purchased parts from Ferrari that the FIA had approved for sale. ==Season summary==