Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-23. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Friday 22nd September 2023. Suzuka, Japan.
Haas boss Guenther Steiner says the squad knows “there are better days ahead” amid its struggles through the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Haas has lacked performance throughout the campaign, its predicament accentuated by high tyre degradation in race trim, and has managed only four top 10 finishes, with just one – Kevin Magnussen in Singapore – achieved in the last 11 races.
Haas holds a low-key eighth in the championship, two points ahead of Alfa Romeo, and has spent most races circling towards the rear of the pack.
“We’re working hard to get out of this hole and that’s what motivates me every day of the week,” said Haas boss Guenther Steiner. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t know we’re working hard and getting better to where we want to be and should be.
“We know our car and that we’re struggling at the moment in the race, everyone is well aware of this.
“Always, the whole team tries to do their best, starting with the drivers, to the mechanics and engineers, squeezing everything out of what we’ve got.
“Then when the opportunity is there, we get a point or at least we get something from qualifying. If you look at our pit stops in the last races, they were pretty good.
“Hats off to the team as they keep their heads up and keep on pushing as they know better days are ahead.”
Haas is planning a large upgrade package for this month’s United States Grand Prix as it bids to address its weaknesses for 2024.
“The programme is on-plan so everything should be done,” said Steiner. “Everyone in the team has done a good job in doing the planning for this – the purchasing department has worked day and night to get everything ordered in time, the design office worked and gave the drawings to the purchasing department – the company worked as it should.
“We don’t know how good the upgrade will be, we expect something good out of it, but the best thing is that we’re going in the direction we want to go next year and we will learn a lot this year for next season.”
Keyword: Haas ‘know there are better days ahead in F1’