Haas is preparing for the first round of the final back to back that will close the 2023 Formula 1 season, the new and highly anticipated Las Vegas Grand Prix. For the team, this is the third home GP of the season after Miami and Austin. Finishing well is almost as important as starting the year well. There are still positions at stake for the constructors' classification and we are looking for maximum performance from everyone. For this Haas decided to dare by bringing two different specifications of the car to Las Vegas for its drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. This decision was made in response to their preferences and reflects the challenge the team is facing in trying to improve on their disappointing performance from the 2023 season.
A difficult season
Haas's situation is critical. The team is currently last in the Manufacturers ranking. The US team has experienced a difficult season, characterized by disappointing results and the struggle to remain competitive marked by the fact of focusing on a single large development package which arrived too late. The one big package of updates, brought to Austin, although it had a positive overall impact, did not solve all the problems on the VF-23, including tire degradation, which is still too evident. Solving those problems will take time. Something the team doesn't have at the moment. However, to save the season finale, Haas decided to resort to a drastic solution, deciding to rely totally on the drivers.
In fact, the "new" Haas was not promoted by both drivers. Nico Hulkenberg, in fact, while recognizing the positive impact of the package, prefers the previous specification. This necessity led team principal Guenther Steiner to make the decision to let drivers choose the specification with which to race in Las Vegas. The two will therefore drive two different single-seaters, based on their needs. Magnussen will continue testing work with the new specification and further comparative tests will be carried out.
Haas is not the only team to have had problems with developments this season. Also Aston Martin, which had started the year with a string of podiums, scored by Fernando Alonso had to retrace its steps, returning to the old specification. And she paid for this positively. Haas hopes to have the same fate by putting its two drivers in the best conditions to score points.
Steiner: “We have nothing to lose”
Nico's choice to return to an old specification highlights the complexity of the new package and the design limitations of the VF-23. Limits that Haas is willing to overcome, having nothing left to lose. On the reasons for this diversified strategy Steiner responded as follows:
“The main reason is that Nico feels the old spec suits him better, whereas Kevin is the opposite. We have decided to give them what they want, we have two races to go and nothing to lose, so we tried to do what we could. We could argue about collecting data, but we have enough, and the decision is based on what each driver likes more than anything else. We put them in a comfortable position, so that they are as satisfied as possible with the car they receive.”
The challenge will be to see whether this tactical move will lead to a significant improvement in Haas' performance and whether it will serve to collect useful data for next season. It should also not be overlooked that in Las Vegas we will race on a new track, and with rigid temperature which will require great tire management to avoid the risk of graining.
“Low temperatures are a challenge, as everyone knows you need to keep the tires above the minimum temperature, which is above five degrees, so we always have to keep them a little warmer, but it also depends a lot on the asphalt. It's a combination of temperature and roughness of the asphalt, but I don't think the degradation can be worse than in Brazil. During the tests, we will know the surface, the track, the temperature and then we will know more." concluded Steiner.
