Steiner confident Haas will return to F1’s midfield in 2022

Haas endured its worst season to date in 2020, scoring just three points on its way to ninth in the constructors’ championship.

With a significant regulation change on the horizon next year, Haas decided not to develop its 2021 car at all. 

The American outfit is on course to finish 10th in the constructors’ championship and is unlikely to score in 2021.

Assessing his team’s chances next year, Steiner believes the budget cap gives Haas some chance of finding its form again.

“I think the budget cap, for sure, has a lot to do with it because if there wouldn’t be a budget cap, the big teams would have parallel developed this year’s car, next year’s car,” Steiner said. “I think it’s a combination of the runs in the wind tunnel, they are limited and the CFD calculation time is limited. I think in general the playing field is more leveled out. 

“We started off knowing that with this car there was no point to invest anything [in 2021]  as the car wasn’t good in ‘19. Last year we stopped development completely, so to put a lot of investment - not only money, but also people - it’s not something you want to do because even with a good job you’re still in the lower midfield at the maximum, so we decided to go full out for next year. Hopefully that pays off.”

With Haas pinning its hopes on 2022, Steiner is sure Haas will be competitive. 

“At the beginning of the season we had a bit of a slower start in developing again as we had to restart a lot of the departments back at base but now we are up and running at a good speed with good people,” Steiner added. “I’m pretty confident that we can come back in the midfield, but how far up, it [remains] to be seen.”