Haas team principal Guenther Steiner echoed driver Kevin Magnussen‘s mild trepidation regarding the newly implemented upgrades as they head into the 2023 United States Grand Prix,
Haas haven’t made many major upgrades to their car over the 2023 F1 season other than an update to the floor for the Miami GP, and a brand new package was welcomed with open arms by Steiner, who stopped short of branding it a completely new machine.
“I wouldn’t call it a new car,” Steiner told the media. “It’s a big upgrade but it’s not like a new car.
“I’m pretty calm because I don’t know what to expect. It’s a little bit busy tomorrow with how we will get on, but its not a new car launch.
“Hopefully it works, and it works better than the other one, but the main thing for me is to see that we can do something, and we’re not just waiting here doing nothing.
“Sometimes you just have to do something instead of sitting on the fence all the time and finding a good reason not to do something. Whatever the performance is, we try to get out of it as much as possible in one hour of practice.”
F1 is the next NFL
Haas‘ sponsorship deal with Moneygram was announced a year ago, and since then, the team have enjoyed an increase in financial security within F1, while also gathering a bigger following around the world.
“I would say it mainly gives us stability,” Steiner went on. “You see now, our team is very stable.
“When you see big companies like Moneygram on board, you know they are here to stay. Formula 1 is on a high, so everybody thinks F1 is the next NFL.
“Doing things like this now, bringing in an upgrade this late in the season and saying yes, let’s do it.”
Heading into the 2023 US Grand Prix, Haas sit ninth in the constructors’ championship, with a points haul of 12 thus far.
