Haas' update in Austin: 'We're going to the Red Bull concept'

There was already talk in the media that Haas had copied Red Bull Racing's car. No doubt all competitors are watching with great interest how Adrian Newey and his men at Red Bull have managed to design a rocket that is virtually unbeatable in the hands of Max Verstappen. Haas will be under no illusion with the announced update to grab podium finishes, let alone victories.

Haas changes concept VF-23

Team boss Guenther Steiner explains the aerodynamic changes made to the VF-23: "We changed the concept of the car because what we started with, because of the new regulations last year, we couldn’t make any more gains performance-wise. Creating more downforce and less drag, it just wasn’t there anymore, so we needed to change the concept, which is commonly known as the “Red Bull concept” or the “downwash concept."

Steiner believes there will be quite a bit of change for his team. "It is a substantial update, and we’re able to do this within the cost cap because we didn’t have any updates at the beginning of the season because again, going back, we couldn’t find any performance that we could make parts to put on the car."

Magnussen happy with update

With his teammate Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen hopes to benefit from the updates. "I’d be lying if I didn’t hope it will give us a big improvement, but I think there’s actually a second element to bringing this upgrade which is to research for next year. I think we’re all secretly hoping it performs better than what we currently have but actually the bigger target with this is, is the research and the learning we can do for next year’s car."

"I think it’s been clear that in very specific circumstances our car can perform, but it’s a too narrow window and we need to broaden it and make it more user-friendly and compliant with a bigger variety of tracks and conditions. Hopefully, we’ll be able to follow easier and be more friendly to tires," the Danish driver said.