“It's a tough crowd out there” - Haas boss Guenther Steiner taking positives from first home race of season
Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has said that it's very tough for teams to score points this season in midfield.
Haas scored points for the third time in five races, courtesy of Kevin Magnussen's P10 in Miami after he had an entertaining battle with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for P8. However, it has been very tricky for teams like Haas to score points in 2023 compared to last season, as there are fewer places to aim for, with the eight grid slot almost a lock with top teams.
Steiner debriefed his team's performance on their website:
“We scored points again, three times out of five this year, and that’s good, but it’s a tough crowd out there. We’re there or about, and if nothing happens at the front, then we’re fighting for the last points, which are left over, and we got them this weekend after a very good qualifying."
He continued:
"The race started very well; in the middle of the race, we fell back a little, but we took a point home. All in all, it’s still positive. It’s tough and every point counts this year, and we need to be around when there are big points being dished out. I think we are always around so that day will come, but we’ve taken something away from our first home race.”
“I was dreaming of a little more than one point, but still, it’s what we came here to do" - Haas F1 driver
After the race, Kevin Magnussen said that he's aiming for higher points after battling for P7 and P8 throughout the race with Leclerc, but the Haas driver was satisfied with one point. He said:
“I was dreaming of a little more than one point, but still, it’s what we came here to do – to get points and finish in the top 10. I don’t think it was an easy race to get points in because all the big teams finished up there, and P10 is more or less the best we could’ve hoped for in terms of the pace we had."
He continued:
"I think the pace was good, but we had a little bit more degradation than the rest of the field. It was a strong weekend, bringing something good to the car and getting a point at home.”
Haas F1 have been one of the more predictable teams this season with their consistent performances in midfield and would hope for more races like the Miami GP.