Haas says 2017 preparations better than last year

The American squad joined the field for the start of the 2016 season, making an immediate impression as Romain Grosjean scored a sixth-place finish in its first race in Australia and fifth in the second event in Bahrain.

Haas' efforts, however, were hindered by a spat of reliability issues that lasted pretty much all year as the new team got to grips with the sport.

Steiner says this year's preparations are going to plan so far, and expects the new car to be ready for the start of testing in Barcelona.

"So far so good, all according to plan," Steiner told Motorsport.com. "The car will be set in motion next week, then we will start in Barcelona.

"So far it has gone better than last year. The experience of a working season was very useful. We have also learned how to work better with our partners Ferrari and Dallara.

"We have the normal everyday problems, but we are here to solve them," added Steiner, whose team is one of two - along with Williams - yet to announce the launch date of its 2017 challenger.

While the team has insisted the 2017 season will be a completely different given the regulation changes, Steiner admits Haas needs to do better now it has more experience and resources.

When asked about Gene Haas' comments about the team needing to improve, Steiner said: "And that's the right thing. The day when a Formula 1 team is happy with the position it occupies it is bound to lose ground.

"We have made significant investments in terms of staff, we have more experience, and as a result we all expect to do better than in 2016."

Interview by Roberto Chinchero