Haas has chosen not to develop its car for the final year so it can focus on preparing for the new technical regulations in 2022, as it believes it offers a greater chance for a step forward and performance to increase.
The team resigned in a transition year in 2021, in which they could not collect any points with rookie drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, and thus remained last in the constructors’ championship.
But in the last three races of the season, Haas came close to lower-midfield rivals Alfa Romeo and Williams in terms of absolute pace. Schumacher qualified in both Qatar and Abu Dhabi within two tenths of a second from an Alfa Romeo car and was even less than a tenth behind Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in qualifying for the race in Saudi Arabia.
Haas F1 boss Steiner emphasized the importance of keeping the team motivated despite his competitive position, but admitted that he was surprised by the increases in the rest of the midfield in the late season.
“You have to be careful that people don’t become complacent, get used to it and don’t give their best anymore,” Steiner told Autosport.
“[You have to] Tell them ‘You guys didn’t get stupid or bad, it will get better, it’s just our car isn’t designed’. The answer is too simple: if you don’t do anything for a year, you end up here.
“On the other hand, in the last two races I couldn’t believe that we were only one or two tenths away from the end of midfield. I can’t do that with a car that is almost two years old. “
When asked whether the growth was due in part to the increasing experience of his drivers, Steiner still believed that the development in 2021 should have made the other teams more distant from Haas.
Günther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1, Mick Schumacher, Haas F1, Nikita Mazepin, Haas F1
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“The others should have increased the gap, they developed their cars,” said Steiner.
“The last two races were very strange for me. In Saudi Arabia, where the lap is very long, we were only one and a half tenths behind. And we fought one of the Williams in the race. Maybe they were slower?
“As soon as you can fight for something, it’s a different scenario, a different mood, a different way of life.”
Schumacher was able to fight Williams driver Nicholas Latifi throughout the season finale in Abu Dhabi and hold him back for 22 laps before Latifi crashed and triggered a late safety car.
Schumacher said the late-season advancement was “possibly” due to his growing experience, but also thought the team had found new ways to tune the VF-21 car.
“We as a team have just found another way to approach weekends and setups,” Schumacher told Autosport.
“I think we’ve really just found what we want with the car. If it is the entry stability, it is the oversteer, as has been shown in the last few weeks. I think we’ve perfected that a bit. “
