Haas team principal Gunther Steiner is targeting an improved level of consistency after a disappointing Australian Grand Prix.
Romain Grosjean started the race from an excellent sixth place on the grid, Haas’ highest ever starting position, however Grosjean retired from the race after just 13 laps.
His team-mate Kevin Magnussen also endured a miserable weekend, with a Q1 exit and a collision with Marcus Ericsson on the opening lap of the race.
Steiner expressed his frustration after the team walked away from Melbourne empty handed, and at the foot of the championship.
“We know the car is good, [the drivers] are both positive – especially Romain, he was very positive,” Steiner told Autosport. “He saw the speed, and I mean, everyone could see that he could keep the Toro Rossos easily away.
“But it’s always… how many opportunities like this do you get? With such a tight midfield, it’s a lost opportunity.
“It’s disappointing, but it could be worse. We could be slow.”
The Italian believes consistency and reliability will be key to winning this year’s midfield fight, which seems closer than ever before, with five different teams being eliminated in the first part of qualifying in Melbourne.
“I think it’s a lot easier to find reliability than speed,” he added.
“It seems like we’ve got the speed. We need to find it everywhere, on each track, more consistent than last year. I think we can do that this year.
“But again, we also need to be reliable, because you can have the quickest car but if you break down, you don’t get the points.”
