Guenther Steiner prioritizes tackling Haas’ tire overheating woes before focusing on 2024 car

Haas currently sits P8 in the constructors’ championship.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner (Image credit: Irish News)

The VF-23, Haas’ latest creation, has presented the team with a complex challenge at every circuit encountered so far. Demonstrating a consistent ability to excel over a single lap, the car’s prowess in this regard contrasts sharply with its performance during races. A notable vulnerability emerges as the VF-23 tends to consume its tires at a faster rate compared to its rivals, diminishing its competitive edge in race conditions.

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner mentioned that they had initially begun well but were unable to address their issues immediately, particularly concerning the tire overheating. When he was inquired about assessing his team’s season thus far, Steiner explained that they are somewhat disadvantaged at the moment.

He elaborated that the team has the capacity to achieve strong qualifying performances as well as struggle during races; this variability is akin to a rollercoaster ride for the entire team. The fluctuations between successful Saturdays and challenging Sundays are challenging to come to terms with.

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“We started off pretty good but then didn’t get a hold of our problems right away, which is the tire overheating. “And now we’re a little bit on the back foot. We can do very good qualifyings and very bad races. It’s a rollercoaster to have these highs on a Saturday and these lows on a Sunday,” Steiner told Autosport.

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Haas stresses tire heating solution over 2024 plans amid Red Bull’s 2023 dominance

Haas and Red Bull F1 cars (Image credit: Racingnews365)

With Red Bull‘s dominance in the 2023 championship becoming clear, the Formula 1 grid must soon redirect resources to next year’s development. The remaining teams, unless already underway, face the imperative of this strategic shift to keep pace with the unyielding Red Bull. However, Guenther Steiner claims Haas will only focus on next year’s season once they resolve their prevalent tire heating issues.

Guenther Steiner expressed that there was a need to address the current issue before proceeding with plans for 2024. He emphasized that they couldn’t disregard the present matter and solely focus on the ’24 car. Steiner warned against not comprehending the problem, as it could reoccur in next year’s car, which he considered unwise. He noted their current intensive efforts to enhance the VF-23.

Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner is not a fan of having additional teams ?#F1 #GuentherSteiner pic.twitter.com/8xBtBPuAvU
— Sportskeeda F1 (@SportskeedaF1) August 16, 2023

“I think we need to fix this one before. We can go parallel to 2024 but we cannot ignore this one now and just go for ’24,” “If you don’t understand it then it could be in the ’24 car again, that would be pretty stupid. We are working now on the ’23 car flat out to make it better,” Steiner further continued.