The Haas F1 Team continues to struggle to understand just why their VF-19 does not work as well on race days as it does during Qualifying, with tyres continuing to play an integral part in their struggles.
Team Principal Guenther Steiner says the problems that have befallen the team in 2019 are still ongoing, with no solution in sight to what is causing the big drop off in performance between Saturday and Sundays, with the team currently sitting ninth in the Constructors’ Championship as a result of their under-performing races.
“We need to understand why we have these deficiencies between qualifying and the race, then we can work on it,” said Steiner ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. “At the moment, we’re in search of that issue.
“It’s always good to be back at your base where you can work on the car better, but from the data side there is no difference. Wherever we are in the world, we can do the same job.”
Steiner admits he has encountered tough moments before in Formula 1 and this current issue is right up there with them, but he does have confidence a solution can be found and the team can use the full potential of the VF-19 and give both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean further opportunities to move up the order in both championships.
“More than once I’ve encountered this problem,” admitted Steiner. “I wouldn’t say it’s normal, but it’s part of the job. You always have to keep on doing a better job, but there are setbacks.
“It’s very competitive, especially Formula 1. At the moment, we are a little bit on the back foot. I’m sure we will get back to where we want to be.”
This year’s British Grand Prix could be the last at Silverstone, but Steiner says keeping the race at the track can only happen if it make sense financially, otherwise he can see the circuit dropping off the calendar for next year.
“It is iconic and it’s a very good grand prix to go to for obvious reasons,” said Steiner. “A lot of teams are from near Silverstone, so it’s a home race for many.
“But then again, despite being iconic, it cannot stay there if it doesn’t make financial sense. It needs to make financial sense for them and for Formula 1 and the teams – then we can stay there. We all love it, but there is a cost to it.”
