This season has been unusually tough for the Haas team. However, team leader Steiner said that the new rules to be introduced in the 2022 season and the new car will provide the team with a golden opportunity to return to the middle and regain the status of the previous seasons.
Since the 2020 season opener, Haas have only scored three points in total. This year's two rookies, Mick Schumacher and Ma Zeping, have not yet scored points. It also makes Haas the only team this season that has not scored points.
The Haas team's struggle on the track stems in part from the team's overall strategy. Long before the start of the season, Haas announced that it would not be developing this season's VF-21 car, and turned its attention entirely to the 2022 season, focusing on the challenges posed by the new rules. Steiner said the strategy seems to be working well.
Steiner compared the team's current situation with when they first entered F1 in 2016.
"The development of the car for the 2022 season is progressing well and we have made progress in every stage of wind tunnel testing."
"For me, it's a bit like 2015 or 2016. But to say how good we are, I don't know because we don't know how good the other nine teams are. But from the team's point of view, we are working with the technical team in Italy again, as we did in 2015-17. I remain cautiously optimistic about returning to the ranks of midstream groups next year. ”
It is worth mentioning that since the end of last season, the Haas team has undergone significant changes off the track. Former Ferrari chassis engineering director Simeone Resta became team technical director, and Ferrari also built a center for Haas at the Maranello plant as a sign of closer ties.
Steiner also said he believes the team is now in good shape and can deliver performances at the same level as the 2018 season in 2022. That season, Haas finished fifth in the constructors' standings.
Asked what else could be improved in the run-up to the 2022 season, Steiner said: "Everything can be improved, consistently, you can always do better. But I'm going to say that the team is in good shape, so [it's going to be done step by step] there won't be much of a change. ”
"I think we'll be ready, there are a lot of guys who were in the team when we finished fifth in the 2018 season, so these guys are still good and they haven't forgotten how we got to fifth place."
"I rely on these people and believe they will succeed. We'll get good results, if not fifth, but at least we'll be back in midstream as we did in 2016 and 2017. ”