Guenther Steiner reveals what will make him unhappy

Guenther Steiner feels finishing eighth in the Formula 1 championship once again might not satisfy him. The Haas team principal felt it was important for their team to set higher targets.

After finishing 2021 at rock bottom, Haas picked up 37 points last year to rank eighth in the Constructors standings, above AlphaTauri and Williams.

Asked if finishing in the same position in the championship this year would make the team unhappy, Guenther Steiner said:

“Unhappy is one thing, I wouldn’t be satisfied. Happy or not happy, we should never aim to stay the same. It can happen by all means, it can happen, but I wouldn’t say because we are eighth I am happy or unhappy. We need to work to get better and that is what you do when you are in a position you don’t want to be in.”

Speaking to on-site media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the Bahrain GP, Steiner feels that Haas will have to aim higher than an eighth-place finish in the championship. The German team principal felt it was important for their team to work harder and achieve better results than the previous years.

The Haas team principal feels that the team can overcome challenges within the season and perform as well as their rivals. Asked if seventh place in the championship was ideal, Steiner replied:

“Yeah exactly. Moving on, but we know everybody else is trying to do a good job. We know we can fall back but you can build up. We can face all those challenges.”

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Guenther Steiner revealed there are multiple upgrades planned for the Haas car throughout the 2023 season

Revealing that their first upgrade for the car was planned for the Barcelona race, Guenther Steiner believes Haas will have to achieve their performance targets in the wind tunnel before they can produce any upgrades.

Unlike the 2022 season where the Haas team introduced only one or two big upgrades, the German revealed they will be upgrading their car throughout the current campaign. He suggested they did have a systematic plan in place for 2023 and were looking ahead optimistically to develop their car.

Asked when they were planning to update their car, Guenther Steiner said:

“At the moment, something is planned for Barcelona but we are working on it and we need to see if we make the right progress, performance wise in the wind tunnel before we put into production. They are on their way and if it goes according to the plans to hit the targets, then the first updates will be coming.”

As for whether there will be one solid upgrade or multiple ones, the Haas team principal said:

“Stepwise it’s coming all over the season, we have a good plan in place. I don’t say exactly when it’s coming, because if they develop, they don’t give you what you target. They are not going to produce the upgrades, it’s so much of money but we are waiting for the results. There are multiple upgrades coming through the whole season obviously."

He added:

"So we have got dates in place but if we don’t hit that performance targets in the wind tunnel, we will not come out with the parts at that time. Because why would you make a different part if it doesn’t get a performance update and then we just weighing money out of your budget cap money.”

Acknowledging the budget cap limitations, Guenther Steiner reasserted the importance of achieving their wind tunnel targets before they produced any upgrades. He believes they cannot afford to waste money producing parts without having an understanding of their performance, especially in the budget cap era.

Nico Hulkenberg qualified in the top 10 for the Bahrain GP but was unable to score any points as he lost pace and dropped behind after making contact on the first lap. But the team remain optimistic that they can improve their race pace and unleash the potential of their car.