Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says his team's target is to match the development rate of other midfield teams this season.
Following two remarkable results which have seen Haas finish with one car inside the top six in each of the opening two races, one of the biggest challenges still facing the team this year is car development. Steiner says Haas will also be working on upgrades for the VF-16 in its first season, and hopes to show a similar program to other midfield teams.
“It is very difficult, but we will continue to develop," Steiner said. "We’ll continue to test in the wind tunnel and bring new developments to our car, and that will lead to gains in our aerodynamic program throughout the season. I think we’ll bring new developments like the rest of the midfield packs are doing, or aiming to do.”
Haas also carried out its first live race pit stops in Bahrain - completing one in just 3.1s - but Steiner still sees it as another area where big gains can be made.
“I would say two out of the three pit stops were good. We still can improve, but we were in the ballpark. In the third one we had an issue with one of the wheel nuts. I give credit to the crew member because when he went to put the wheel on, he realised something was wrong and took it off again. Had he not fixed it, the car probably would have been stopped after the first two corners from the wheel being loose.
"So we had an issue, but we solved it and maybe lost two seconds and it didn’t make a difference anyway. The mechanic and his actions stopped us from making an even bigger mistake.”
Sergio Perez exclusive interview: Time to be a driving force
Eric Silbermann ponders the outcome of the qualifying format row
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS - Bahrain Grand Prix
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on top of the timesheets for the second time in Las…
Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas,…
Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari has a genuine “shot” at beating rival McLaren to Formula…
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has revealed that nine Formula 1 teams stand in opposition…
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell led the field in a chilly but trouble-free first practice…
Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the United…