Haas’s focus on 2022 means another tough season next year – Steiner

2021 F1 season

Posted on

| Written by and

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the team faces another “tough” season next year as it prioritises development for the new technical regulations which are due to arrive in 2022.

The team lies ninth in the championship, where it also finished last year, with a single point from 10 races. Steiner said he expects “it will be a tough year next year as well for us.”

The current technical rules will be largely unchanged for 2021 aside from some aerodynamic changes intended to curb downforce gains. Steiner confirmed the team’s developments for next year will be “only on the changes by regulation.”

“When you do that, for sure, you develop the opposite way – you lose performance but then you try to get a gain it back. So that is what we are doing. But we will not do any big upgrade.”

The teams are limited in other areas of car development. “A lot of the stuff stays the same anyway,” said Steiner. “So I don’t think there will be a lot of changes because parts you cannot really change because it’s homologated, the suspension and things like this. I’m not expecting a miracle for next year.”

Steiner said it is logical for the team to concentrate its resources on the long-term rules change coming after next year’s stopgap regulations.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

“We have got to decide: To do a programme which will last for at least five years or a programme which is a maximum of one year, where do you put your investment? You put it in the five years and that is what we are going to do.

“For sure we need to do something for next year but it won’t be something spectacular because we just haven’t got the resources of the big teams which can do a ’22 car and a ’21 car.”

All teams have seen their income fall this year due to the reduced number of races being held as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which Steiner said has been particularly difficult for Haas.

“I think we were hit very hard this year with the income from FOM, not receiving the full amount. And also the status of the championship, we are only doing 17 races, it takes a little bit of wind out of our sails, a year like this.”

“Putting a big effort in [for 2021] is like wasting money,” Steiner added. “I’d rather keep that money to do the ’22 car.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2021 F1 season

Browse all 2021 F1 season articles

8 comments on “Haas’s focus on 2022 means another tough season next year – Steiner”

  1. President Trump long time opponent of Coronavirus has been confirmed to have COVID19.

    1. Long night ? ;-)

      1. Hal close the pod door bay

  2. I hope the redistribution makes the difference for Haas. I think it’s pretty clear now the existing model doesn’t work, with 200 staff and outsourcing everything, it’s just not proper F1. They can’t solve even relatively everyday issues like setup and tyre use. Hopefully with the new listed parts rules, whatever they’re going to be, will help too, so Gene has to have a full F1 constructor team and can afford it. It seems a bit unfair as well that he’s got this great Windshear wind tunnel and he’s not allowed to use it.

    And where is his American driver?? Colton Herta? Who else is there?

  3. Well if they can’t do much to the car, its probably perfect time to try a new driver lineup.

    Although his comments about finance do suggest one of the seats next year will be a pay driver…

  4. I’ve seen some worrying comments by Romain Grosjean. When one of their drivers crash, there aren’t any new car parts made to replace the ones who’ve been broken. They just replace them with older car parts. So the car is actually getting worse and getting closer to the Barcelona winter spec every race.

    1. It has been like that since Albon hit Magnussen at Silverstone. Magnussen and Grosjean are not even driving the same car.

  5. Good to hear at least that they will be around for the foreseeable future

Comments are closed.