Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed that development of the team’s 2017 is now their priority, with the 2016 car having now served the purpose of getting the team to the grid for their maiden season.
Steiner told ESPN, “We are developing in the wind tunnel, as I think everybody else is. But our main focus now is on 2017, our main focus is gone from 2016.”
“You can [only] do so much for 2016 and where we ended up in 2016 was better than anybody expected anyway, so let’s focus on next year,” said the Austrian with reference to the fact that 2017 will witness a spate of radical new rules.
“If you focus now on 2016 that car has got another 12 races left. Next year’s car has hopefully five years left and if you build a good platform to start off with its almost impossible to catch up with.”
“Look at the Mercedes example, they come out with a rocket with the new regulations, nobody could catch up. Everyone gets close but to make the big leap is almost impossible because your windtunnel time is restricted so nobody can do more to get better.”
“Obviously we are focusing on next year because it doesn’t just mean next year, it’s the next five years.” explained Steiner.
For the rest of the season Haas will receive Ferrari engine updates as and when they are rolled out, as well as limited updates to the VF-16.
“We are still discussing a front wing update but we are not 100 percent sure if we want to do it or not, if the gain is big enough to do it or if it is a distraction. There are small parts in aero but they all signed off an in production, but no big aero.”
“Once you develop something in the windtunnel it still takes two, three months afterwards to put it in production. In the windtunnel is one thing but to make a part to put on a car is another thing,” concluded Steiner.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
No comments:
Post a Comment