Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsHaas F1 Team

Aiming for points isn't arrogance - Guenther Steiner

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes the new US Formula 1 team is not being presumptuous by targeting points in its maiden Grand Prix season.

As the Haas F1 Team enters the last stretch before unveiling its 2016 contender at Barcelona in a few weeks, it has generated much interest and expectations given its technical partnership with Ferrari and its self-proclaimed ambitions.

While many have labeled Haas' targeting of points as overly ambitious, Guenther Steiner refutes the claim, believing the team's solid foundation and potential entitle it to such an objective.

"We don't want to sound arrogant that we are going for points," Steiner told Motorsport.

" No. We are aiming for points. But the main thing that we want to do, is that we want to show that even for a new team coming in, it is still possible to do F1 starting from nothing.

"We took our time, we invested our time in getting as prepared as we could. F1 is such a difficult business to get ready from nothing. It is not easy – even the two years we have had, it is a long time.

"But we worked hard in these two years. We were not sitting around for 18 months and then started to think about what to do six months ago."

While the team's learning curve remains obviously steep, Steiner explained that Haas' diligent and hard-working approach insures that it has done its very best to prepare for the big time.

"Our biggest thing is: we want to go out there and be respected by doing a good job. If that good job is finishing races, fine, but if we can pull it off and get in to the points then fantastic. I think we don't expect to be on the podium! We have clear expectations.

"To make the team work as a team will be one of the our biggest, if not the biggest, task now. The car is one thing, but a car – we did a lot of work on it, but to work in the real racing environment, the team is going to do that for the first time in Australia."

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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.