Steiner reveals 'quite significant upgrade' for Haas in Barcelona

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Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says the US outfit's VF-19 will hit the track in Barcelona this week decked out with a series of "significant" upgrades.

Haas performed well at the Circuit de Catalunya during pre-season testing, but persistent tyre woes have since undermined the performance of its 2019 contender.

A return to Spain, where warm temperatures will perhaps help alleviate tyre concerns, will hopefully provide the team with an opportunity to shine on Sunday after a succession of disappointing races.

"We know we can qualify well," says Steiner. "Barcelona in preseason testing was a very good track for us. We looked very competitive, but we need to show it in a race weekend.

"We want to show everyone how good we should be if we get the tyres to work."

Haas VF-19 'still best of the midfield cars', insists Grosjean

Formula 1's return to Europe after the championship's first four fly-away races typically marks the start of an important upgrade cycle for teams.

And Haas will follow that trend this week with a raft of changes to its VF-19.

"We’re bringing our first upgrades of the year," adds Steiner.

"A lot of parts on the car will change – the front wing, the floor and a lot of the smaller parts, like mirrors. It’s a quite significant upgrade."

©Haas

For Haas, the outlook for Barcelona implies a step up in performance for the US outfit, if it can successfully deal with its chronic tyre issues.

"Barcelona always affords a good point to regroup after the early long-haul races," explains the Italian.

"We’re back in Europe, we’ve got upgrades coming, but you’ve got more to look at with Barcelona because we ran our preseason testing there."

"The hope is that it all works as it did in preseason testing.

"We’ve obviously lost a little bit of confidence after the last three race weekends, but we haven’t lost it completely.

"We’re just careful to make predictions. We are cautiously optimistic."

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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.