Steiner: The most important thing is to learn how to warm up the rubber

The Haas riders finished Friday’s practice in the top five, with Kevin Magnussen in 4th and Mick Schumacher just over half a second behind him. But the US team head, Gunther Steiner, thinks that shouldn’t be given much importance for the time being, as track conditions will change over the course of the day.

Günter Steiner: “I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on the results of the training, but both riders did well and gradually built up speed on both types of rubber. However, it looks like qualifying will be on a dry track, and that will be a different story. But we are happy that our riders were in the top five.

I want to say it might not rain, but the track just doesn’t have time to dry out because it’s too cold. In any case, the conditions will be different again, so we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

We have decided not to make any significant changes to the settings. All efforts are focused on learning how to quickly warm up the tires to the right temperatures, and then they can provide the level of grip riders need.

Mick now focuses on Kevin – it’s good that the team has an experienced pilot who sets the tone. Although Kevin has been racing for a long time and he could be considered a fully mature professional, he is still young. He’s trying to help his teammate because he has to work for the team.”

The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was the first stage of the season, with the sprint race scheduled for Saturday, and as points will be awarded to the top eight riders from this year, everyone has something to fight for. But the risk of damage to equipment also increases.

“First of all, we will focus as much as possible on qualifying and we will see what results we get,” Steiner continued. “It will become clear from which positions we will start, after which we will assess the acceptable level of risk, but our approach will depend on the results of the qualification.”