Logistics no easier despite summer stretch of European races - Steiner

If, upon its arrival at the Red Bull Ring this week,  Haas F1 Team checks out the history books it will notice that the Austrian Grand Prix is a special venue for the United States of America.

Forty years ago this year, Roger Penske, one of the most famous names in American motorsport, won the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix, with Ulsterman John Watson behind the wheel.

While Gene Haas will certainly bring the milestone to the attention of his troops, it is unlikely that it will make his team's race weekend any more easier.

Austria will begin a summer stretch of European races  for the F1 community where teams can take all their transporters and hospitality units to each race, but that doesn't necessarily help logistics.

"I wouldn’t say it’s easier, but just more convenient because you have the equipment right there," says Haas team principal Guenther Steiner.

"Back-to-back races are always very difficult for the guys, even if it is in Europe and you have all your transporters. To go from one place to the other by truck, it sometimes takes us as long, if not longer, than the flight would since we have a lot of going back and forth.

"It is nice to be in Europe with one time zone though. There is a lot less jetlag. I know the mechanics enjoy being in Europe since it is no more than a two-hour flight home for them. All in all, it is a little bit more convenient but, by far, it is not easy."

The Red Bull Ring is a short layout and one which offers a diversity of corners, which provides a challenge with regard to car set-up, part of which has already been conducted through simulation work.

"We will have to figure out on Friday how to set our car up best for us to have the best lap time, whether it’s taking downforce off to go fast on the straights or putting downforce on to go very fast around the corners.

"We will take the corners and compare them with other corners in different circuits. Again, the more we run, the more information we have, which allows us to simulate a racetrack like Austria."

Tyre selection and wear will once again prove crucial, and Steiner admits that Haas is at a disadvantage in this area as the team has no previous Austrian data to rely on for compound selection.

"Our guys know a lot about the tires just like the other teams. They are experienced engineers, but we don’t have the data for our car to back them up this season.

"So, for sure, there is a disadvantage for us. We made the first tire selections before we even had a car. Tires are definitely one of our struggling points right now, but I know we are making improvements and next year we will be better."

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