Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner says Renault “will try anything they can do” rather than focus on its own weaknesses, as the battle between the pair intensifies.
Haas has been locked in a fight with Renault over bragging rights in Formula 1’s midfield battle, with the manufacturer eight points clear of the sport's newest team.
Those results remain provisional due to Haas’ impending appeal against its exclusion from last month’s Italian Grand Prix, when Renault protested an illegal floor on Romain Grosjean’s car.
Renault has struggled on track since Formula 1’s summer break and Nico Hulkenberg conceded at Suzuka that it has lagged behind its rivals in terms of development.
Renault scored 81 points in the first half of the campaign but has added only 10 to its tally in the five Grands Prix since, as Haas continues to apply the pressure.
"I see their performance has gone down I don’t see it internally,” said Steiner of Renault.
“I’m sure they know they have dropped their performance and not helped themselves so they can have nobody to blame.
“Obviously if Hulkenberg is not happy with it, he voiced it… so if they have confused themselves even more that is good for us.
“You could see they were a little bit desperate when they put in the protest against us in Monza. They will try anything they can do instead of focusing on themselves to get better."
Steiner is nonetheless aware that it is not a formality that Haas will be able to get the jump on its opponent.
“I know we have four races to go but they were not very strong [at Suzuka] and they were luckier than us in scoring a point, but their performance and pace wasn’t very good,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean that they will be [in the same position] in Austin or Mexico. I don’t know. So we need to keep our guards up and do a good job.
“We are not there yet and we will for sure fight but there is still a long way to go: four races, and 20 per cent of the championship.”
