Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, has said that there is no point in switching focus to the 2024 car until the problems with the current car are fixed.
The American outfit has a particular problem with managing tyre life, with an expert example of this happening in the Austrian Grand Prix.
A sensational effort in the sprint shootout saw Nico Hulkenberg qualify fourth and eventually ran in second until Lap 12, but the German driver slipped down to sixth prior to the change to slick tyres on Lap 18.
This indicates that the Haas is competitive with pure speed, yet slips down the order due to greater tyre degradation than surrounding competitors – an issue that had also plagued Ferrari for much of the 2022 season.
For Steiner, there is no point switching to the 2024 car until the issue is solved.
“The moment [to switch focus] in consideration is whether we learn the issues we have got,” Steiner said to the media ahead of the 2023 Hungarian GP.
“We need to learn exactly what it is because there’s no point to move on 100% to the 2024 car without knowing why we are where we are this year.
“Because then we could end up with the same place next year, so it is a topic that comes up all the time – how long can we push it?
“We will bring some parts for after the summer break, see how they work and then we will make the decision but it’s fluid at the moment when we move 100% to 2024.”
Haas upgrades at Hungaroring
Haas‘s upgrades aim to improve the downforce level, which will improve tyre life as the drivers can use the aerodynamics to slow the vehicle instead of heavier and harsher braking.
“You always need to work on your downforce level,” Steiner added. “That’s no secret, with our tyres we are struggling to help them and we need to fix that one.”
