Haas will not be releasing any upgrades for its VF-22 during this week’s Spanish Grand Prix because the team is deferring its development programme “a little longer.”
Given F1’s budget limits, teams are managing their upgrades with caution this season, albeit the bulk of the sport’s teams have already introduced small changes.
With or without the addition of new parts, F1’s return to Barcelona this week will provide an opportunity for everyone to assess the progress of their package’s performance since pre-season testing in March.
Guenther Steiner, the team’s boss, feels Haas can still get additional speed out of its base package without relying on upgrades.
“Normally Spain is the obvious place to bring upgrades and I think quite a few teams are planning them,” said Steiner in Haas’ Spanish Grand prix preview. “I don’t know how much difference they will make on each car and what they will bring.”
“We have decided to wait a little bit longer with upgrades as I still think we have performance in the car without them which we have to get on the track, so sometimes we achieve it, sometimes we don’t.”
“We have a good upgrades package in about four or five races coming, so I’m confident about that and what the other ones are bringing, as of right now I don’t know, but I will know a lot more next Monday.”
Haas will not be releasing any improvements for its VF-22 during this week’s Spanish Grand Prix because the team is delaying its development programme “a little longer.”
The team’s extensive experience on Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya should help it speed up its set-up work on Friday, but it is a benefit enjoyed by all teams.
“I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage compared to the other teams as everybody has been there and knows Spain very well,” Steiner added.
“For us, going there and knowing we’ve run there, and we ran strong and had a good set-up, at least we go there confident.”
“When we get there and start on the right foot, we usually put ourselves into a good position for qualifying and the race, so let’s hope it happens this time as well.”
