Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed the American team has switched their focus to manufacturing and developing their 2017 challenger and will no longer look to develop this season’s car.
Haas started this season in tremendous fashion scoring a sixth place finish at the season opener in Australia and sixth place finish during the next round in Bahrain. Since then though the rookie team has fallen behind the rest of field scoring just 10 points in the following nine races.
Now with points becoming few and far between for the American outfit they have decided to abandon all development on the VF-16 as they look to jump start their rivals and start 2017 on the front foot.
“We are full-time on the ’17 car,” Steiner said.
“We are not doing anything with the ‘16 car anymore. Where we are with the ‘17 car, we think we are in a good place, but until after we go out next year at the first test, we don’t know because other people are developing.
“We are always trying to hit a moving target, but everybody’s confident we are getting there. Wind tunnel sessions are filled with parts to try, we are doing CFD, we are maxed out on everything as allowed by the FIA and everybody seems to be confident that we are on the right path.
“Where we are – only next year will tell when we get on the track.”
