Steiner: No excuses for Haas' lost points
- Published on 14 Dec 2018 10:41
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steier says that there are no excuses for losing points throughout the 2018 season. The American squad missed out on a number of top ten finishes, which hurt its pursuit of fourth place in the constructors' championship.
Its biggest mishap came at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where after solidfying both cars in fourth and fifth place, it was hit with a double DNF. Two pitstop blunders left both cars with a wheel not attached properly, forcing Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen to pull over and retire.
Haas ended the season in fifth place, 29 points behind Renault, but Steiner says that there were points that Haas should have secured: “We lost points which we shouldn’t have lost,” he said. “But I don’t want to find excuses. I think it’s part of growing."
Haas' impressive season saw it battle for the 'best of the rest' spot despite it being in only its third season of F1. Steiner says that the team needs to become more experienced before it can iron out the issues that cost it points.
"The air is getting thinner higher up you get, we realise that one. It’s just part of our growing process going forward. If you are in that league you just need to make everything work to be there. It’s not enough to have just a good car, you need the full package. You need everything executed perfect.”
"You cannot learn it or study it, you just need to to do it. We shouldn’t be doing it wrong but by doing it wrong you learn not to do it wrong any more. So to learn out of it and get better, that is my aim anyway, because I think if you do it wrong once it’s not OK but you can live with it.”
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Replies (6)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
The pure shitload of points they lost by mere blunders from their drivers was horrific to see. HAAS is a team with drivers Im not all that fond of and with Steiner, the human equivalent of SARS, but I want them to do well, and this really was their year to shine, and they just wasted it.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I really liked Gunther up until this year. I still think he's an alright bloke, but he's hitched his wagon to Magnussen and Grosjean, and in the process of defending those guys antics on track, he looked like an a-hole. Oh, let's not forget also trying to jack Force India out of their price money.
But getting on topic, yes no excuses for lost points, but also no consequences. The pit crew ruined the first race, no doubt. But the rest was mostly down to the drivers. It's shocking how Haas wasted points. Magnussen behind Perez and Hulkenberg, which at least was not a total embarrassment. But Grosjean behind a Mclaren, a Sauber, both Renaults and both Force Indias. Yeah no excuses...
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I disliked him before it was cool! B) ... That is I disliked him since some of his incredibly buffoony comments during 2017. He just feels very acidic to me.
I dont necessarily agree that there were no consequences to those lost points. For them, it was lost price money, and thats vital to these smaller teams. Furthermore, those incidents costed them great deals of money to rebuild the cars. The car was good to boot, it looked hella neat on so many occasions.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
@calle You're right, there are consequences for the team, but I meant for the people responsible for those lost points. Ok I'll stop beating around the bush, I think there should have been consequences for the drivers. I don't think they should have renewed both of those two. That's all I'm trying to say. Especially after it's become clear that Haas have a fast car, I am very confident that they could do better (much better) than Grosjean and Magnussen. I also think that from a commercial perspective, they are the least marketable pairing on the grid, driving for the team with the least sponsors. So that's what I mean by no consequences.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Oh absolutely. I was certain Grosjean's time was up. And KMag, while good, is being limited by his ontrack aggressions. 4th should with all right have been their's or Force India's this year, yet Renault claimed it more or less by luck.
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
Had Romain grosjean grabbed 25 more points ( which is not too much to ask IMO given the machinery ) Renault wouldn't have been in 4th. Both their drivers are a bit too aggressive, and there is no proper senior figure, who could guide and fix them up at Haas.