Steiner wants to see if ‘ambitious’ 2021 predictions come true

Haas boss Guenther Steiner is keen to see whether Formula 1’s “ambitious” predictions about improvements to the quality of racing come true in 2021. 

F1 presented its vision for 2021 by revealing its approved set of technical and sporting regulations from post-2020, including a new-look car design that is aimed at producing better wheel-to-wheel racing and allow cars to follow each other more closely on-track.

Estimations from F1 claim a car which is one car length behind another will lose only 14 percent downforce, compared to the 45 percent figure seen with the current cars.

F1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn was critical of the introduction of the 2017 regulations for creating the current difficulties that have led to a lack of overtaking, as well as the financial implications they had for teams.

Asked about Haas’ stance on the 2017 rules change, Steiner replied: “It’s water under the bridge.

“I’m not critiquing normally stuff that happened, because you always can find something negative, something positive.

“But it’s again introducing this big front wing this year, what has changed there?

“If you look back now, that wasn’t a great decision because what changed? Nothing, except that we have a bigger front wing, nothing else in my opinion. The overtaking hasn’t got better.

“So if you look back, a lot of things, if you say did they succeed as they wanted, I’m also careful saying that the new car for ’21, I think there was a number quoted - 10 percent of the wake of the current car.

“I want to see that, because 10 percent is quite ambitious in my opinion.”

Steiner said there were “no big surprises” for the teams in the regulations presented.

"We have seen the regulations develop over the last 12 months, so we knew quite good what is coming, so we are not surprised or anything, there is no big surprise,” he explained.

“What I’m thinking, I think that is what we ended up with. I think the aim is the right one.

“They need to still achieve that you can better overtake and the field is closer together, and these are the regs. Like always, it is decided, now we need to work with them.

“You cannot keep saying this is wrong, this is wrong. You need to work on it, and then if there are small problems to overcome, we will overcome them, like you always do.”