Breaking news
Formula 1
Haas won't design 2020 F1 car to fit Pirelli's tyres
Haas will not design its 2020 Formula 1 car to "fit the tyres" despite its struggles this season, because Pirelli 'promised' next year's compounds will have a wider working window.
Scott Mitchell
Edited: Jul 24, 2019, 5:43 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The American team progressed well after entering F1 in 2016, and finished fifth in the constructors' championship last season, but is only ninth in this year's standings.
That poor performance comes despite having a car that has been fourth-fastest on several occasions this season, only to be let down by inferior race pace.
Haas's main problem is rooted in not getting Pirelli's 2019 tyres to work but it will not fundamentally change its design to alleviate that problem as it expects the tyres to change.
Read Also:
- Haas concedes VF19 "absolutely the worst" with tyres
- Tyres influence "not the right thing" for F1 - Steiner
"We cannot make the car to fit the tyres," said team boss Gunther Steiner. "Then the tyre changes next year and you're back to square one."
Asked by Motorsport.com how much of a concern its lack of solution for its tyre struggles were for the 2020 design, Steiner added: "We got the promise from Pirelli that next year's tyres will have a wider window.
"That is what they are working to, that's what they are committed to. Hopefully that works. What you learn this year will help next year as well.
"I don't know if it will be ultimately conclusive to make it work all the time. We will have a better understanding at the end of the year for next year."
Haas scored 29 points in its debut season, improving to 47 in 2017 and 93 points last year.
However, it has just 16 points to its name in 2019, despite raw car performance like Kevin Magnussen setting the fifth-fastest time in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Steiner said "we knew this [kind of struggle] was coming at some stage" even though the disconnect between one-lap pace and results is "frustrating".
"I said at some point we would make a step backwards," said Steiner. "It's normal in competition. You cannot keep going up, up and up.
"The strange thing is we don't have a bad car. It's more about how we react.
"Now the challenge is to keep everybody focused and working in the right direction and being part of the solution not part of the problem. Then we will get out of it."
Steiner admitted it is "difficult" for staff members during a spell like Haas in enduring, as success is the ultimate motivating factor.
"Some people maybe don't get the confidence and do something different," said Steiner. "But we have to live with that.
"Normally if you're up front with people and tell them what is actually happening, and that this is an opportunity, they are OK with that.
"There is no better motivator than success and we all know that. Not having success, you have to put the work in to keep them motivated.
"Having success like last year we didn't need to motivate, they motivated themselves."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Yamamoto set for FP1 outing with Red Bull/Toro Rosso
Next article Red Bull "has confidence" for Germany after Silverstone showing
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Scott Mitchell
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
Formula 1
Formula 1
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
More from
Haas F1 Team
What's behind "absolute nonsense" Oliver Bearman contract rumours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
23 min
What's behind "absolute nonsense" Oliver Bearman contract rumours
“I couldn’t disappear” – Oliver Bearman rues “crazy” penalty for Pierre Gasly clash
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
“I couldn’t disappear” – Oliver Bearman rues “crazy” penalty for Pierre Gasly clash
Latest news
What's behind "absolute nonsense" Oliver Bearman contract rumours
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
23 min
What's behind "absolute nonsense" Oliver Bearman contract rumours
F1 Mexico GP: Follow FP2 with live timing
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 h
F1 Mexico GP: Follow FP2 with live timing
F1 Mexico GP: Charles Leclerc beats Kimi Antonelli to top FP1
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
2 h
F1 Mexico GP: Charles Leclerc beats Kimi Antonelli to top FP1
What Fernando Alonso is getting wrong about F1 driving standards
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
4 h
What Fernando Alonso is getting wrong about F1 driving standards
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe