Breaking news
Formula 1
Haas needs "thinking hat" to deal with prize money drop
Haas Formula 1 team principal Gunther Steiner admits he will need his "thinking hat" to tackle the likely substantial drop in constructors' championship prize money following his squad's 2019 slump.
Matt Beer Scott Mitchell
Edited: Oct 7, 2019, 2:21 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Having taken a breakthrough fifth in the teams' standings last season, Haas has endured a painful campaign this year and is currently down in ninth.
If it stays there, that would be the team's worst championship result in its four seasons in F1 so far.
Asked by Motorsport.com how big a concern that was for future development budgeting, Steiner replied: "As always, if you lose out on big money like this, you always have to put your thinking hat on how not to waste money next year.
"It's not an existential problem, but for sure it's not like 'yeah, it doesn't matter'. It's something between - we need to manage it, it's never a nice thing to manage less money, as we all know."
Read Also:
- Why F1 shouldn't take Haas for granted
- Steiner: F1 format experiments worth it as 2021 won't fix all
In its efforts to understand its struggles with tyre management in particular this year, Haas resorted to running differing aerodynamic packages across its two cars in the middle of the season.
Romain Grosjean favoured the package with which the team had begun the year, while Kevin Magnussen persisted with the latest upgrades.
Asked by Motorsport.com if having to try two ultimately unsuccessful aero packages had been a particularly costly setback, Steiner replied: "Absolutely. It's very expensive, and if you don't gain anything, it's wasted.
"But I think what we learned from it - we know now where are at, and what not to do.
"Now we have to make sure that on next year's car we don't have a similar problem.
"But at least we know the problem, that's the starting point of any improvement - it's knowing what not to do, what caused the lack of performance."
Haas's 2019 season has also been clouded by its short-lived and turbulent title sponsorship deal with Rich Energy.
Read Also:
Steiner said parent company Haas Automation would make up any budget shortfall caused by the Rich saga.
"We haven't lost money, but luckily we've got Haas Automation as a good partner, and they'll support us for what the deal didn't bring to the final bit," he explained.
He said he was relieved that the Rich story was now over.
"The investors, they are good people. And I don't know where they're going," said Steiner.
"But I'm relieved not to have to deal with it anymore, because it gets old after a while.
"When you don't make progress, you have to deal with the problem where there is no progress made, that is not satisfying in my life, and I'm not going out to fight with somebody just for the sake of it. If you cannot make progress, why waste energy?
"So, it is disappointing that it ended how it ended, but again, with the investors in Rich Energy, we terminated on a good standing, so you never know what happens in the future."
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 Renault: McLaren split a "lost opportunity"
Next article Honda will match Mercedes, Ferrari power in 2020 - Marko
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Beer
Ferrari drivers escape punishment for clash
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
Ferrari drivers escape punishment for clash
Hamilton accepts full responsibility for Albon collision
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
Hamilton accepts full responsibility for Albon collision
Vettel, Leclerc called to stewards over accident
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
Vettel, Leclerc called to stewards over accident
More from
Haas F1 Team
Dropped Esteban Ocon defiant: Formula 1 is “where I belong”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Dropped Esteban Ocon defiant: Formula 1 is “where I belong”
Five contenders to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Five contenders to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
You Ask The Questions: Esteban Ocon
Formula 1
Belgian GP
You Ask The Questions: Esteban Ocon
Latest news
NASCAR to allow brake rotor and pad changes after Phoenix qualifying
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
1 min
NASCAR to allow brake rotor and pad changes after Phoenix qualifying
Why Christian Horner banned Mercedes' name as Red Bull built its own F1 engine
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
17 min
Why Christian Horner banned Mercedes' name as Red Bull built its own F1 engine
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
Laurent Mekies extends contract as Red Bull's F1 team boss
Alex Palou to drive Indy NXT machinery in Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 2 h
Alex Palou to drive Indy NXT machinery in Chris Griffis Memorial Test at IMS
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