Steiner: F1 mid-field not closer, just 'more people in it'

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Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says F1's 2019 mid-field is hunting ground to "more people", with no specific team leading the charge as 'best of the rest'.

The US outfit won the sport's B-class in Melbourne thanks to Kevin Magnussen's sixth-place finish while McLaren's Lando Norris accomplished the same feat in Bahrain.

But in the Constructors' standings, it's a third team - Alfa Romeo Racing - that sits behind the unassailable Mercedes- Ferrari-Red Bull Racing trio.

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While Haas under-performed at Sakhir, several of its rivals believe the team's Ferrari-powered VF-19 currently holds an edge, but Steiner rejected any attempts at defining a mid-field pecking order, at least for now.

"I wouldn’t say the midfield is closer than last year, there’s just more people in it. I think everybody can be in it at some stage," Steiner said.

"I think this year, at different tracks, the leading midfield team could be different from track to track. It’s not one team leading the midfield, it looks to me like.

"But our position now, I’m obviously not very happy. We should have more points. It’s still very tight, so nobody got away.

"I think it could be a very interesting midfield, even more interesting than last year."

©Haas

Looking back at Haas' disappointing weekend in Bahrain, Steiner believes tyres were the source of its unexpected lack of pace, a fact that came to light at Sakhir's post-race test.

"We were lucky to have a test afterwards and it looks like that we didn’t manage the tyres in a good way," said the Italian.

"I hope we found the cause and we don’t repeat it, that’s the aim.

"The car, we just lost the performance. The tyres didn’t work anymore after a few laps, and then we lost our pace over the race.

"I think everyone else got it right in Bahrain. We were just out of the window. That can happen and it will happen to other ones as well."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.