“If Ferrari does a really bad job…,” Gunther Steiner reveals the downside of Haas-Ferrari partnership
Gunther Steiner discusses drawbacks of Haas F1's partnership with Ferrari amid pandemic and development challenges.
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Guenther Steiner outside Ferrari campus (Credits: PlanetF1)
Haas F1 Team made its debut in 2016, and since then, they have been in a long partnership with Ferrari. While the partnership has helped them reach new heights, it has also come with its own set of drawbacks. In a recent interview with the Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, he spoke candidly about the downsides of the partnership.
“Everything comes with a downside, and that is maybe it, but the rest is a pretty good upside because we have a lot of faith,” Steiner said. Despite the challenges, Guenther Steiner sees the benefits of the partnership. Haas F1 uses the same suspension, gearbox, engine, hydraulics, and electronics as Ferrari, which gives the team a benchmark to measure their progress. “We know where we could be if we do a good job – which is where Ferrari is,” Steiner added.
However, the Italian acknowledges the downside to the partnership is that if Ferrari does a bad job, it affects Haas F1’s performance, “What we need to do is the aero because then we can move on up, but the downside is if Ferrari does a really bad job,” he said. In 2022, Ferrari’s engine power was toned down, and while it benefited Haas F1, it also faced reliability issues. And in 2020, they were hindered by the massive pace deficit that the Ferrari engine had. “We are in it with them as well, but this year, we are pretty content with how much we have caught up with Ferrari compared to last year,” Steiner added.
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The pandemic took a massive toll on the Haas F1 team
The pandemic also impacted Haas F1’s development in 2020, as team owner Gene Haas was unsure about continuing in Formula One. “Once we decided to get going again, which was about September time I think, it was too late to say: ‘We are going now to develop the ’21 car.’ We had to do development on the ’21 car because there were a few changes on the car through the regulations, and we did those on the floor, but nothing else,” Steiner explained.
Steiner and the Haas F1 team made a decision to focus on the 2022 car, as it was a completely new set of regulations and would set them up for the next five years. However, it was a risky decision, as it meant accepting that the 2021 season would be even worse. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I knew that with what we had available at the time, it was not possible to catch up because in 2020, we lost quite a lot of people,” Steiner said.
Despite the challenges and risks, Steiner remains optimistic and has faith in the team’s ability to make progress. “We don’t have to do parts that we are not equipped to do, like the suspension or gearbox,” he said. “We can rapidly make progress. It would be fantastic if they were dominating the World Championship because then we could be third or fourth! But it isn’t like this.”
In conclusion, the partnership between Haas F1 and Ferrari has its challenges, but Steiner and the team remain optimistic and focused on making progress. While the pandemic and other factors have impacted their development, they have faith in their ability to catch up and compete at a high level. As Steiner said, “Everything comes with a downside, but the rest is a pretty good upside.”
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Rohit Bhaskar
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