Haas plans to mirror the strategies of Red Bull and McLaren with a forthcoming car overhaul.
After a disappointing race for the US-based team in Monza, drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen voiced their frustrations over the car’s limited development this season.
“It’s just a paradox that we have one of the weakest cars with the strongest foundation I’ve seen in the team,” said Magnussen.
“Right now it’s all about enduring it and having patience.”
Their feedback appears valid, especially since Haas had to switch to an older style front wing at Monza, finding the newer one unsuited for such a fast-paced track.
Yet, Auto Motor und Sport has hinted that Haas is preparing a significant upgrade for its upcoming Austin race.
Journalist Michael Schmidt noted the changes are so substantial that it resembles a ‘B’ model, drawing heavily from Red Bull’s design.
This decision seems timely, particularly as McLaren’s Red Bull-inspired upgrades in 2023 allowed them to challenge Red Bull more competitively in some races.
2016 champion Nico Rosberg remarked: “Christian Horner told me after Monza that he thinks the competition will be much tighter next year because everyone will copy Red Bull.”
Confirming the development, Haas’s Gunther Steiner said, “We will be heavily modifying the car to better understand which direction we have to go in next year.”
With its close ties and an office at Ferrari’s Maranello site, the Haas car design takes much from Ferrari’s approach.
“No matter what we do, we can’t find a laptime anymore,” Steiner admitted.
Schmidt suggests that the US Grand Prix ‘B’ model will “look more like a Red Bull”, with key components echoing the top-performing car.
Team lead Steiner acknowledges the bold mid-year shift is not without risks.
“The risk would be even greater if we only discovered in Bahrain 2024 that something was wrong with our new path,” he said.
“McLaren showed us that you can make a big leap with a change of concept. It’s no use just adding new parts to your existing car and just standing still.”
In a concluding note, Schmidt believes both Haas and their technical collaborator Ferrari will align with the Red Bull-McLaren blueprint, introducing new frames and transmissions by 2024.
