Steiner: We expected more effect from the new products

Günter Steiner, Haas F1 team manager, spoke about the work of the new products introduced two stages ago, as well as his attitude towards sprint racing, because the weekend in Brazil will be the last of this season, the program of which includes Saturday sprint.

Question: Two races have already passed since the presentation of the VF-23 update package – what information about the operation of the new products have you been able to gather? What have you managed to discover, both operationally and with a view to the next season?
Günther Steiner: The main conclusion is that we probably expected a little more effect from the new products, but the picture is not entirely clear because the weekend program in Austin included a sprint and we did not have time to conduct tests, and the track is in Mexico City very high above sea level.

Last weekend we lacked downforce overall, so I still haven’t come to a definitive conclusion, but expectations were a little higher. However, the information received shows that we are moving in the right direction and preparing for next year.

Q: This season’s final sprint will be held in Sao Paulo – short Saturday races are becoming increasingly common. What changes await us in this area next year?
Günther Steiner: I think we often have a tendency to jump to conclusions after trying something new just once. If everything went well, that means it’s great; if something doesn’t work out, everything is bad. We try to generalize everything, although in reality we have to think a little longer.

It may be too early to qualify for Sunday’s race on Friday, which could cause confusion among fans. We need to think about how to make everything clearer to the public. But in general I have nothing against sprint weekends as long as the fans like them, and in that respect the FOM makes all the decisions because they have all the information.

Q: As we head to Brazil, we can’t help but mention Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi, a Haas test driver and reserve driver who will spend a full season in IndyCar next year. How does this impact his role on the team and how did you react when you found out he signed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing?
Günther Steiner: Pietro is part of the Haas family and everyone is excited for him to spend a full season in IndyCar because he will at least have the opportunity to compete at the highest level. Whether he continues to work with us next year depends on the Formula 1 and Indycar calendars and how many overlaps there will be. But if we can, we will try to keep him in the team.

Question: There are only a few races left before the end of the championship – how do you evaluate the work of your drivers in the first season of their cooperation?
Günther Steiner: Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg work well together and there is mutual respect between them. Even though they fight on the track, their rivalry is always fair, so I’m very happy with them. We spoke to Kevin before inviting Nico and he was very happy to have Hülkenberg as his teammate.