F1 News
Haas look for solutions to tyre problem
Recently, a lot of tinkering has been done to the Haas' VF-23. They hope to achieve better results as a result. However, engineers have discovered a major problem for the car: the tyres and brakes are overloaded.
Auto, Motor und Sport spoke to engineers from Haas about what the car struggles with. The car struggled at races with heavy traffic, wind, low grip and temperature changes. It was also tough on the tyres at circuits where hard and heavy braking is required without allowing the brakes to cool down enough.
Low brake load is ideal
From several results, such as the top result at Spielberg, where Nico Hülkenberg finished sixth, the VF-23 appears to run well on cold and rainy days. The car also runs well on smooth tracks that require little braking. This is evidenced by results from past Grands Prix. For example, Kevin Magnussen finished tenth in Miami and Jeddah, and Nico Hülkenberg finished seventh in Melbourne. All these tracks are considered smooth.
Improving tyres
Tyres degrade quickly at the Haas due to frequent braking. Bigger cooling shafts make no sense, according to the team. At Silverstone, the front cooling system was modified as a quick fix. The brake ventilations on the rear wheels still need some time as the maximum can't be taken out yet. This should work better in a few weeks, after the summer break.
Whether this will be enough is yet to be seen. This is because the performance of the rear brakes has to do with the brake-by-wire setting [an electronic system that measures how hard the driver presses the brake pedal].