00:00 Haas team principal Gunther Steiner has shed light on the team's intention to modify
00:04 its car design and change the aerodynamic concept they're currently using.
00:08 The change, as he indicated, arises from their continuous struggles during the current F1
00:13 season, resulting in them completely stopping development early this year.
00:18 As we know, Haas is what's called a 'satellite team' of Ferrari, which very basically means
00:23 they can buy parts from their old parts bin, which is why the Haas and Ferrari look so
00:28 similar.
00:29 The fact that building their cars actually allowed Haas to get into F1.
00:32 Without this connection to the Scuderia, the American team wouldn't have been able to afford
00:37 its entry into the sport in the first place.
00:40 But it's safe to say it hasn't done the team any favour over the last couple of years.
00:46 Let's talk numbers.
00:47 Last year, Haas came 8th in the constructor standings, ahead of AlphaTauri in 9th and
00:51 Williams in 10th.
00:52 They had a really good start to the season, with Magnussen taking home some good points,
00:57 but towards the end of the season they started struggling.
01:00 Plus, the Ferrari power unit wasn't overly reliable.
01:04 This year, despite being in a better place financially, the team is still struggling
01:08 with performance, which I assume is a side effect of using older Ferrari parts.
01:13 Look at how the cars changed recently.
01:15 Every team has opted for a concept very similar to that of the Red Bull RB19, with a downwash
01:22 side pod design.
01:23 Haas hasn't taken on that concept, with them still using the Ferrari bathtub design
01:28 instead.
01:29 But, according to Steiner, this is about to change.
01:33 He told the press, "The concept of the car will change, going in that direction.
01:37 You know, you're limited with the chassis and a few things, but we're trying to go
01:41 to that common downwash shape like everyone else has got."
01:46 Now it turns out the team has been contemplating this change since before the summer break,
01:50 and on top of that, and this will also explain the lack of pace recently, have stopped development
01:55 entirely because they realised the direction they were developing into didn't actually
01:59 result in faster times.
02:02 Steiner referred to it as "banging their heads against the wall", admitting that they
02:05 needed to face reality.
02:07 Interestingly, the team still has the budget for upgrades they didn't bring, so there
02:12 could potentially be a late surge from Haas, which would be great for the Austin Grand
02:16 Prix, their home race, and the first-ish Las Vegas Grand Prix towards the end of the season.
02:22 Okay, so I began this video talking about the sort of alliance between Ferrari and Haas.
02:27 This is apparently going nowhere, despite the performance deficit, with Steiner adding
02:32 that he didn't believe it had anything to do with the Ferrari Pass.
02:36 Hey, look, the last thing Gunther wants to do is annoy Ferrari.
02:40 It can happen very easily, and it's pretty much going to keep Haas afloat right now.
02:45 The thing is, a big upgrade is coming to Austin, but it's from the 2024 car.
02:51 So while Steiner's calling this a shortcut for next year, with a logic that they're already
02:55 starting to understand and learn the upgrades ahead of even Bahrain testing next year, it
03:00 doesn't quite sit right with me.
03:02 I feel like, once again, Haas is going in circles a little bit.
03:08 Let's end on a positive.
03:09 Hopefully this stops Haas' massive tyre dig, and come on, who doesn't want to see them
03:13 do well in their home country?
03:16 Tell me down in the comments if you believe the rumours of Alfa Romeo joining Haas are
03:20 true, and while you're down there, leave a like and subscribe to SIF1.
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