The battle for the midfield looks set to be the closest it’s been in recent years. With the new cars closing the gaps between teams, Haas’ Gunther Steiner believes strategy could decide who will end the season best of the rest.
In all three races so far this season, strategy has played a crucial role. Not only has it been separating Ferrari and Mercedes at the front of the field, it’s had an impact on that midfield battle.
“For all the teams that are pretty close together, strategy is a differentiator,” Steiner told F1.com. “You can see that with Ferrari and Mercedes, but also in the midfield sector. In China, it was the conditions and the safety car. In Bahrain, again the safety car – one virtual and one real.
“So, whoever gets it right in these unforeseeable situations is at the front in the end. And there strategy plays a huge part. In a normal race with only one pit stop, the race result is, of course, more predictable. But we haven’t had such a ‘simple’ race so far. That is good news.”
So far, whether through poor strategy or bad luck, Haas’ second season in F1 hasn’t gone quite as well as they would have hoped. The American team is currently seventh in the constructors’ championship, a double DNF kicking off the year.
But Haas has showed signs of being able to challenge in the midfield. Romain Grosjean qualified sixth in Australia, behind the three “frontrunner teams”, and was running in seventh before retiring due to a mechanical problem.
“I think we are in the range of our midfield opponents in terms of quantity – then, of course, you have to make sure that the quality also delivers,” Steiner said.
“We will have a substantial upgrade for Barcelona, and the next step is still in the wind tunnel! Once we find the gains we will start producing. There is a good plan in place. And, of course, bits and pieces we will bring at any other race.”
With only four points separating Haas and Toro Rosso, and eight points separating Haas and Williams, the team has a strong chance to move up through the standings at Sochi, especially if it meets its double points aim.
