Steiner: We have to do everything we can to pick up the pace

Günther Steiner, Haas F1 team principal, spoke about the main challenges for the Canadian race weekend.

Q: The ninth stage of the World Championship will be held in Canada: what do you think about this overseas race interrupting a series of European stages?
Gunter Steiner: This is for the team, it takes place in the middle of the European phase of the season, but for me it’s not actually “overseas” as it’s held pretty close to my home (Steiner lives in the US). The Canadian climate makes it difficult to choose a date for the race that does not snow on weekend days, and that this date does not fall in the middle of a series of European stages.

The Canadian Grand Prix is ​​a very exciting event, the fans have always enjoyed it and they are always great in Montreal, so I’m looking forward to this race.

Q: Circuit named after Gilles Villeneuve is a fast circuit where cars must be set to a low level of downforce. Will it showcase the Haas VF-23’s strengths, or vice versa, its weaknesses?
Gunter Steiner: As always this year, we don’t understand very well what positions we will be in, and from race to race everything develops in such a way that it is difficult for us to predict anything. At the same time, we are not only trying to make a prediction for ourselves, but also trying to understand what to expect from our opponents, because the results are now very tight and there is a sharp battle for every tenth of a second.

In Montreal we have to do everything we can to increase the race pace, because in Spain it left something to be desired.

Q: At the Spanish Grand Prix, the team was in the top eight for pit stop speed. How do you ensure that pit stops are even more accurate and smooth?
Gunter Steiner: Last year we put a lot of energy into making our pit stops as good as possible. In the previous two seasons we had difficulties, we rolled back, but that was true in all areas. But now a new coach is joining the team and she is doing her job very well.

Faith Atack-Martin is not only responsible for the physical training of employees, but also for their psychological attitude. Toby Brown, our Chief Mechanic, also tries to keep everyone motivated, and our Chief Strategist, Faissal Fdil, puts a lot of effort into analyzing pit stops and training results to minimize wasted time.

We don’t usually get much back from a pit stop because all the teams are doing really well, but it’s easy to lose a lot of time. But our performance is gradually improving and I believe we can work even more coordinated in the pits.