Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is ready to move on from the team’s disappointing season.
“For me, 2019 never happened,” said Steiner after the team failed to score in its home race at the Circuit of the Americas. “I hope I can forget about that year.”Romain Grosjean was mystified by his crash during the second practice session on Friday. Steiner suspects it was related to the car’s very temperamental” nature.
“A little bump or something and you lose the downforce, and going through them corners there in sector one is pretty fast. You just need to lose a little bit of downforce and you spin out.”
The team has been plagued with balance problems on its VF-19, which has led it to remove upgrades from the car during the course of the year. “This car is so temperamental, from one session to the other,” said Steiner.
“Before it was like from Friday to Saturday, now it’s from FP3 to qualifying, you don’t know what is going to happen. It’s just like a little bit of wind change, a little bit of temperature change, it’s a different car. But it’s not like, ‘okay a little bit more front wing’ or ‘a little bit more balance’ or something, no, it’s completely unstable.”
Having finished a best-ever fifth in the championship last year, Haas has sunk to ninth place. It has only finished in the points five times this year.
“We have to do three more races and then we are over,” said Steiner. “Then I hope we can open a new book. Not a new page, a new book.”
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Nikki (@nikkit)
6th November 2019, 7:43
Obviously, he doesn’t mean forget literally. No doubt they’ll dissect this season, look at what was wrong with the car and what they changed compared to last years car and find solutions.
But I can fully understand the sentiment considering how the season has gone for them. It’s not been pretty.
ColdFly (@)
6th November 2019, 7:46
That would be a disaster for Netflix ;)
BasCB (@bascb)
6th November 2019, 8:48
:-)
bosyber (@bosyber)
6th November 2019, 10:11
Guess that’s one season he won’t be watching himself @coldfly, even if it might be the highest rating yet :)
Ninjenius (@ninjenius)
6th November 2019, 8:55
Steiner: “For me, 2019 never happened”
Hamilton: “Am I a joke to you?”
DAllein (@)
6th November 2019, 9:57
LOL!
Matteo (@m-bagattini)
6th November 2019, 9:20
> We have to do three more races and then we are over
Good news! Just 2 more to go!
DAllein (@)
6th November 2019, 9:59
In a season that never happened there can be any number of races, right?
His team has to do 3… so ok, let them go for 3 races… probably Neverland GP will be a hit for them!
Magnus Rubensson (@)
6th November 2019, 9:46
Hulkenberg … ?
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
6th November 2019, 13:00
How can they not get their tire situation fixed over entire year? They had this issue in race 1.
Is this connected to the way they “source” their car?
Yaru (@yaru)
6th November 2019, 13:53
Ferrari probably feels the same, except only the first half.
formevic (@formevic)
6th November 2019, 13:02
Stainer, for 2020 do you mind to finally send home Haas industries engineers and bring proper F1 experts?
Ben (@)
6th November 2019, 17:24
Guenther, come next year that team is going to be looking to you for guidance. This negativity is a luxury you cannot afford.
Jake
6th November 2019, 18:20
I think that’s really the only mindset Haas can have for 2020. This season has been a mess in more ways than one, from the Rich Energy fiasco, to a horrific car, to two knobhead drivers behind the wheel. Haas need to find a new direction to head in. Maybe it’s time Gene allocated more resources to the team so they can finally start building more of the car in-house.
anonymouscoward (@anonymouscoward)
6th November 2019, 19:11
Guenther, I feel your pain, I’m missing last Saturday, that never happened either.
Chaitanya
8th November 2019, 3:14
This american team is just like any American reality tv shows. Judges(Stiener) and contestants(drivers) upto each other others throats with knives all the time.