The Haas team travels to Saudi Arabia with a broad chest after the successful Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain – points also the goal for the next races
The Haas Formula 1 team travels to Saudi Arabia in third place in the Constructors’ Championship after a spectacular start to the season at the Bahrain 2022 Grand Prix. The American team finally has a good car again and, in Kevin Magnussen, also has an experienced driver who can turn potential into action.
Accordingly, Haas team boss Günther Steiner is in a good mood: “I am very happy for the team and also for Kevin. When you think about the last four weeks and then to be P5 in Bahrain is pretty cool.”
He is also happy to have solved the teething problems of the car during testing for the race: “If you think about it, our longest stint in testing was 18 laps and now we’ve done 57. That’s quite an achievement,” Steiner said.
Steiner: “I want to live the dream “
“Everything was well prepared. We made the right decisions at the right time and had a very good weekend,” said the Haas Team Principal. Asked if he can realise the result in Bahrain yet, Steiner replies, “I don’t want to understand it, I just want to live the dream.”
According to Steiner, the fact that the car is good was already seen to some extent during the tests in Barcelona, but the Haas team did not want to go out on a limb too soon. “In 2019, we were also very fast at the test in Barcelona, but were then in nowhere during the season,” he explained.
He didn’t put any extra pressure on the team before the Bahrain weekend because of that, even though they were expected to have a good car. “I told them to stop worrying. We are racing now and as it comes, so it will come. If the car breaks, then there is nothing we can do. “
Steiner: 3rd place in the WRC only short-lived
“They shouldn’t put too much pressure on themselves, because if it doesn’t work out this time, we still have a good car and 22 more races to go,” Steiner adds, stressing that there is always enough pressure in Formula One, so it’s about keeping the atmosphere in the team calm.
Currently, the Haas team only has to rank third behind Ferrari and Mercedes in the Constructors’ World Championship. Asked about this, Steiner says: “I don’t think it will stay like this for long, but we are enjoying the dream.”
Nevertheless, he is optimistic that the race weekend in Bahrain will not be a flash in the pan. “I am confident because we can still learn a lot about this car. In principle, we haven’t done any set-up work yet because we drove so little in the tests,” Steiner said.
Alfa Romeo the biggest competitor
According to the Haas team boss, one challenge at the upcoming tracks will be to get the car right first time to prevent “bouncing”. For this, he said, they no longer have a whole test, but only the three free practices.
Steiner has identified the Alfa Romeo team as a big competitor for the next races: “Alfa Romeo looks pretty strong, so we have to keep improving the car. Upgrades will come later in the year for that. Nevertheless, I am sure we will continue to score points consistently. “
The Tyrolean doesn’t think his team can fight with Mercedes in the next races, though: “We are a bit too far away. Despite the budget cap, the top three teams have a big advantage in terms of data and experience from previous years.” As a result, Steiner says it will take a few more years for the midfield teams to close the gap for good.
Steiner promised Gene Haas a good car for 2022
Considering the current situation, team owner Gene Haas is more than happy after having turned off the money tap a bit in the meantime due to poor results in the past.
“He’s very happy and just yesterday he came to me again and said, ‘Guenther, you promised me we would have a good car in 2022.’ And we delivered,” Steiner said after the race in Sachir.
One reason for the Haas team’s strengthening is the new Ferrari engine, which Steiner says is the best in the field. It was crucial to stay loyal to Ferrari during the difficult years: “We made a clear decision with Gene and then it’s just a matter of sticking to it. And that’s exactly how it was with Kevin. “
