Haas not upgrading car until races are finalised

Finley Crebolder
Haas

Haas haven't discussed pay drivers, but won't rule it out.

For financial reasons, Haas won’t develop their car until the future of the 2020 season is clearer, Guenther Steiner has said.

While the season opener is set to take place in July and will be followed by seven further European races, little is known about how the campaign will unfold beyond that.

Given this, the teams aren’t yet sure how much money they’ll receive this season, which is why Haas will hold off on developing their 2020 challenger.

“In the moment we are not planning any upgrades until we know exactly what we are doing this year budget-wise, and what we are doing race wise,” Steiner told Autosport.com.

“I cannot spend money which I don’t know if I’ve got. There is no point to do that in the moment. We have to be very cautious with what we are doing because obviously you know the income is going down in having less races and having races without spectators. So, until it’s very clear I’m very cautious.”

While many may feel this could cause Haas the fall further down the grid and financially suffer even more, Steiner says that last year taught them that car upgrades aren’t always as crucial as they seem.

“We learned quite a lot about upgrades, They are never as big as you hope they are. Because in these days, you can do quite a lot on the first car. So, in our opinion, it’s not a necessity to have them,” he added.

“What is really needed for us is not to make mistakes. That will be decisive. That is why we went down that road in not risking that we are planning for something which we then cannot afford.

“That would be worse because then you cannot go to the last grands prix. Then for sure, that wouldn’t give us any points if you don’t get the money.

“So it’s just how you manage your company and we’re happy to do it like this. We know what we’re doing, and we are happy with the decision.”

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