Haas biggest gains must come from aerodynamics

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says his squad’s biggest focus of improvement for 2018 will be its aerodynamic department having felt the US team suffered towards the end of the year due to a lack of development compared to its rivals.

Haas finished eighth in the Formula 1 world constructors’ championship for the second consecutive season having joined the sport at the start of 2016 with Steiner satisfied by the campaign having produced a greater consistency to its results. In its rookie year Haas produced just five points finishes all year but this season the team almost trebled that figures with 13 points finishes in a season with one race less.

However, with just one of those points finishes coming over the final four races of 2017, Steiner accepts its early development switch to next year’s car hampered its late charge with the opportunity to fight for sixth place against Toro Rosso and Renault.

Consequently Steiner is eager to target aerodynamic developments for next season to produce a stronger F1 car while also being able to exploit mid-season upgrades to maintain its charge throughout the campaign.

“In aerodynamic development we have to do more,” Steiner said. “We stopped very early and now with hindsight you would say why did we not develop this car enough but hopefully we have the upside of that one next year when we started earlier. We don't know yet.

“I think aerodynamically our development stopped very early and I think that's where need to find the biggest gain. If we improve aero, the tyres work better so it’s an upwards spiral, not a downwards spiral so hopefully we can get there.

“We started to get people in last year and there is more coming now. There are more as well as last year when we started we did not enough people as we just started. Our aero development should be better and consistent.”