Haas works to fix tire problem
Haas, who entered the new season with the Nico Hulkenberg-Kevin Magnussen duo, performs well in qualifying and disastrously in races.
The VF-23's biggest gripe is the overheating tires on tougher tracks and in hot conditions, which means a huge performance drop from the first laps yet.
The team, which made it to Q3 eight times in the qualifying rounds, achieved results such as fourth place with Kevin Magnussen and second place with Nico Hulkenberg, could not go beyond the seventh place in the race and only scored four times.
Team principal Gunther Steiner told Motorsport.com that the current results are "hard to digest".
“Obviously we started the season pretty well, but we didn't solve our problems right away, we couldn't prevent the tires from overheating. We are now in the background. The qualifying laps are very good, the races are very bad. It is not easy for the team to be at the top on Saturday and at the bottom on Sunday. It's hard to digest." said.
Steiner said they worked hard to fix the tire problem, but it wasn't easy. “There are many simulations and calculations available, but you cannot know the accuracy of these calculations until you see them on the vehicle.” said.
Many mid-row teams are already focused on the 2024 season, but Steiner's priority is to get through this season and fix the tire problem.
“Our priority should be solving problems,” Steiner said. We can also focus on next season, but we cannot ignore our problems and try to move forward. If we can't fix the problem we may encounter the same thing on the 2024 vehicle, that would be pretty stupid. So first of all, we have to make the 2023 car better.” said.
Steiner said that if they could fix the tire problem, they could be much higher right now. “But in situations like these, all you can do is keep your head down and keep working. For example, McLaren took good steps forward, they did a good job. What we are really interested in is that it is possible to take a big step, we are motivated by knowing that we can do it too.” said.
