Haas will consider hiring an experienced replacement driver to help with vehicle development and provide a benchmark for Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in 2022.
The two rookies have been taken on for a second year with Haas as the team is hoping for a more competitive period due to the new regulations next season. Regardless of how competitive the car is by 2022, it will be the first year the two drivers have had to develop a car in Formula 1, and Steiner admits it’s hard to gauge how well the pair will fare and how they will continue to drive the development program.
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“We don’t have a reference – the reference is missing, and that’s an experienced driver,” said Steiner. “So I’m not sure how we’re going to do this, there is more than one way to do these things. We talked a little bit about it but didn’t really do anything.
“I want to see how they go, and you can see a lot from the data – how much they have improved and things like that – you can get a lot of information. But when we get there we will find a solution for it if necessary. If we have to – and I’m not sure we have to.
“It’s always difficult when you take on a reserve or reference driver. That would take (the full-time drivers) out of the car while testing, and testing isn’t a lot these days. So everything has advantages and disadvantages, and at some point we have to get to that point. I will discuss internally with the engineers what is best for the team.
“We have to make a decision, but there are a lot of these ideas floating around. We haven’t made a decision yet and hopefully we don’t need to, because it’s also not good if you hire someone who only gives you a reference and then they lose time driving.
“So it’s a very difficult decision and I just hope our car is stable enough for them to get the most out of it. The better the car, the easier it is for them to develop, because a stable car makes you faster because there is trust. “
Steiner said no decision will be made this season and insists he still feels good about his current pairing’s potential to develop the car.
“They both learn a lot and as I always say – they will never admit it – when you start in Formula 1 you think you know everything, but 10 races later you actually realize how little you knew when you started” , he said . “And this process will continue for a while with young drivers like this. There will be a couple of years of learning but I think they are in a good position now.
“At least they have learned all the processes, they know the team, that’s why I always said our goal is to have drivers who stay longer than a year because you have to get used to them, especially when you’re a beginner. So I think we’ll be well positioned with the drivers next year. “
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