Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner has called on Ferrari to help fix the tyre degradation issues that have so far plagued the competitiveness of its 2023 car.
Haas has been able to extract an impressive turn of speed from its VF-23 charger in qualifying, particularly in the hands of Nico Hulkenberg who has made six Q3 appearances.
However, the German has only converted one of those top 10 starting berths into points, with Haas repeatedly unable to avoid eating through its tyres come race day.
Speaking to Motorsport-Magazin.com, Steiner said that Haas is counting on Ferrari to help address the degradation issues that have so far hampered the team throughout its 2023 campaign.
The American outfit holds a particularly unique relationship with Ferrari in Formula 1, beyond that of any regular engine customer. Instead of designing and building every aspect of the car itself, Haas buys as many ‘Transferable Components’ as possible from Ferrari ranging from suspension, rear crash structure and other internal components.
“If they [Ferrari] solve it, that’s fantastic because then we will hopefully find a solution as well,” Steiner said.
“But if they don’t solve it, it seems to be a big issue. If they can’t solve the problem, it will become even more difficult for us.”
In an analysis of how tyre degradation issues can dramatically hamper performance, former F1 driver Christian Danner said: “This has nothing to do with the driver not knowing how to manage the tires, they know it very well. Every professional knows that.
“It’s a combination of springs, dampers – shock absorbers play a significant role there – and of course, aerodynamics that create this tyre wear. If it’s like with Haas, where the car is dramatically slower by seconds, then you can’t do anything in the cockpit. It’s inherent to the design.”
“It’s high time that Haas starts thinking – they’ve been doing it for a while – and find a solution to align the parameters needed to minimise tyre wear. It’s not rocket science.
“It’s not new that dealing with these things is part of a Formula 1 car.”
At the summer break, Haas currently sits eighth in the Constructors’ standings on 11 points.
Steiner has asserted that Haas remains committed to upgrading its 2023 challenger as the team continues to search for a solution to rectify the recurrent tyre wear issues.
“Upgrades for this season will also be implemented on next year’s car and that’s why we’ve decided to continue with this year’s car development to really understand our problems and where we need to put effort into making the car better for next year,” Steiner said after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“Right now, we’re developing both cars in parallel, and we don’t really know yet when we switch over only to 2024.”
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