Guenther Steiner has revealed that his Haas F1 Team will be bringing a significant update to this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, and he hopes it can see them return to their pre-Monaco Grand Prix form.
Neither Kevin Magnussen nor Romain Grosjean were in points contention last time out in Monaco, but with updates to the VF-18 coming for the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, points are again the target for Formula 1’s youngest team.
“We’ve got quite significant changes – front wing, floor, and all the bargeboard area – we’ve made those updates,” said Steiner. “Obviously, their aim is to go faster, to gain us speed.
“A lot of people brought their upgrades to Spain. We decided to bring them to Canada to have a little bit more time, because we’re still a small team and cannot react as quickly as the big ones.”
As well as the aerodynamic updates, Steiner is also expecting a small update from engine suppliers Ferrari, with the plan to introduce their second power unit ahead of final practice on Saturday morning.
“The upgrades in the engines are small because they are so highly developed,” admits Steiner. “To find big gains is very difficult but, for sure, every time Ferrari gives us an upgrade, it is for a good reason, as it has more power.
“You introduce your first replacement engine, basically engine number two, at about this point in the season. You use engine number one for FP1 and FP2, but not for FP3, as you put the newest engine in on Saturday morning for FP3, then for qualifying and the race.”
With regards to engine management, Steiner revealed Ferrari are in control of that area, and as such it should be possible to run with just three engines across the season.
“Right now, we are up to plan with our engine,” said Steiner. “If it all goes well, we should get to the end of the season without having to use a fourth engine and get a grid penalty.”
“The engine management is done by Ferrari. They’ve worked hard on it so the car can do the mileage, and so that we can do the mileage with three engines over the year.”
