Haas hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory with strategy decisions in the 2022 Formula One season – team boss Steiner calls for more risk-taking
Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says his Formula One team needs to step up on race days and overcome the lack of confidence that is preventing Haas from making the right strategic decisions
The American team has shown consistent pace throughout the 2022 season, but has squandered a number of opportunities to score more points through a combination of reliability, incidents and poor strategies.
The team currently sits ninth in the constructors’ standings with just 15 points. Steiner believes the team needs to shake off the insecurities that have developed after two seasons at the back of the field with an uncompetitive car.
Magnussen’s questionable strategy in Canada
One mistake, for example, was not to bring Kevin Magnussen into the pits during the late safety car period in Canada. Despite two virtual safety car periods as well as a real one, Haas did not take the opportunity to give the Dane fresh tyres, so that he completed a total of 63 laps on one set of tyres and thus finished last among the drivers who finished in Montreal without a chance.
Looking back on how things have developed, team boss Steiner says: “We have to do that [strategy] better. We have to work on that. It’s not that you don’t know the strategy and what to do, but we sometimes hesitate to make decisions. “
“We are a bit insecure about it and the more mistakes you make, the more insecure you become. Eventually, though, that comes back. You need a few good results and a few right decisions and it’s back. So we have to work on that. “
Steiner: Magnussen should stay out of Hamilton’s way in future
But it’s not just strategy that has hampered Haas’ progress, reliability and driver incidents – including Magnussen’s first-lap collisions with Lewis Hamilton in Spain and Canada – have also proved costly.
Steiner added: “In terms of reliability, Ferrari are working on it. I mean, they are not happy about what happened to us and obviously they are in the same boat. They have the same engine, the same MGU-K, and it could affect any of us.”
“I’m also sure the driver [Magnussen] knows that if Hamilton is around, you shouldn’t go near him again because he can take something away. But there is always something going against us. We should have ten to 15 points more, but we don’t. “
“Woulda, woulda and ifs don’t get you anywhere though. The only thing you can do is keep the spirits up and everyone is optimistic because qualifying fifth and sixth for us [in Canada] was a good day and it was done very well.”
As for the strategy decisions, Steiner believes the team has been influenced by a couple of uncompetitive seasons where the pressure was not as great to make critical decisions.
“After two years like we’ve had, there’s a little bit of a confidence issue that everyone has,” he says. “You don’t want to do the wrong thing. And that sometimes prevents you from doing the right thing.”
“It might sound strange, but that’s the way it is when you have to make those decisions, because you have to make them in seconds. Sometimes you freeze and don’t make the decision because you’re a bit rusty and don’t want to make a wrong decision. But then you think the non-decision is the right one, but it’s not,” Steiner explains.
