Haas F1 head Günther Steiner hopes his team can compete in Baku for a good result to make up for setbacks in Barcelona and Monaco†
Q: The June rounds in Azerbaijan and Canada are back-to-back, highlighting the need to establish a seasonal calendar on a regional basis, which Formula 1 has envisioned starting in 2023. What are the key challenges to overcome if the races are only a week apart, and what do you think of the plans for next season?
Gunther Steiner: The difficulty is that you have to fly from one continent to another, it is a long journey and the team has to put in a lot of effort to make it happen.
This requires the team to work smoothly and efficiently, but in just a few days you have to deliver and prepare all the equipment on one track, then disassemble it and move on to the next race. It’s not easy, and if one of the cars is damaged, the situation is even more complicated and we hope to avoid this in Baku.
With regard to the plans for next season, it would be nice if we could combine the flights regionally. I know Stefano Domenicali is doing a lot for this, and the calendar in 2023 will be properly organized.
Q: The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has taken its special place on the Formula 1 calendar – what can you say about this stage of the championship?
Gunther Steiner: I remember my first impression of Baku: it struck me what a beautiful city it is and what a great job it is. I used to know nothing about Baku because I didn’t plan to visit it, but now I think this track will be on the Formula 1 calendar for a long time to come.
Q: The Baku City Circuit is known for its combination of narrow winding sections that run through the old city, with a long, fast start-finish straight, which has seen all kinds of dramatic events over the years. How should the car be tuned on such a track and to what extent does it fit on the VF-22?
Gunther Steiner: The track is really split into two parts – very fast and very twisty. I think we have made significant progress when we found the optimal approach to the car’s settings in Spain, and now it can handle different types of circuits well.
In Baku it is necessary to adjust it correctly and I think we will be able to fight for a good result, which we have counted on in both Spain and Monte Carlo, but the circumstances have been different. Looking forward to getting back to work on the track next weekend.
Source: F1 News
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