Adrian Newey gets picked over Max Verstappen by Haas team principal as the one that can make his team win
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner recently picked Red Bull's aero wizard Adrian Newey as the person he would want to bring in his team if he could sign anyone for free.
Newey is one of the most talented car designers in the sport, with several of his cars winning loads of championships. Steiner also explained why he did not pick three-time world champion Max Verstappen, who is currently dominating the sport with a Newey-designed RB19.
In a Q&A session with The Athletic, Guenther Steiner reportedly chose Adrian Newey as the person he would bring to Haas since he has the talent and experience to develop a car that can win.
The Italian-American team principal believes that Max Verstappen would not be able to perform at the highest level if he did not have a decent car with him.
“I will take Adrian Newey because I’m sure he can make a car which can win,” said Steiner. “The answer is quite obvious. Even if you take Max [Verstappen] with our car, we wouldn’t win.”
Steiner also claimed that if his drivers, Nico Hulkenberg or Kevin Magnussen, got top-tier machines like the ones that Adrian Newey develops for Red Bull, they would also start winning races.
“I think if we had a Red Bull, Nico would win races and Kevin,” he stated.
Guenther Steiner beleives Haas could top the midfield charts in 2024
Despite finishing last in the 2023 F1 season standings, Guenther Steiner claims that there is a chance Haas could not only break into the midfield but also stand on top of the midfield table in 2024.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Steiner initially explained how the budget cap has allowed for teams to instantly skyrocket to the top. He gave the example of McLaren and their success after their Austrian GP upgrade.
“With the budget cap now in place, everything is possible. McLaren at the beginning of the season didn’t start strong, then at some stage, they were second-fastest car..,” Steiner pointed out.
Furthermore, he claimed that there is no longer a midfield or a backmarker area on the table. Rather, there are a handful of top teams, and all the other teams below them are essentially in the same category. Hence, Steiner reckons that if Haas work really hard, they could end up at the top of the midfield section, right below the top teams.
“I don’t think there are top teams, midfielders and backmarkers anymore. There are top teams and the rest – in my opinion. Everyone is in a good place financially. We ended up last this year, but we could end up at the top of the midfield next year,” Steiner added.
Haas finished last in the 2023 F1 Constructors' standings and scored only 12 points. In comparison, Red Bull cruised to the top of the table with a whopping 860 points.