The Haas team finished last in the week’s cumulative laps at the Barcelona Formula 1 pre-season tests, with just 160 cumulative laps between the team’s two drivers, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.
The team announced on Thursday afternoon that it would conduct the final day of testing without Uralkali sponsorship or colors, which it shares with the Russian flag, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The team will review the main sponsorship contract with Uralkali next week.
The VF-22 suffered a long list of mishaps on the first and third days of testing that relegated it to the garage, including an oil leak that was the result of a Ferrari problem and was not in the hands of the team.
However, a strong Thursday gave Haas boss Gunther Steiner some reason to be optimistic.
“We haven’t done enough laps,” he told Motorsport.com. “The first day we had a few small problems but with big consequences, well, maybe not big, but medium, so we couldn’t do enough.
“Part of it was on the ground. But in the morning we had a problem with the fuel pump, which was an internal leak in the fuel tank, so the pressure wasn’t right. And then we had a little leak in the cooling tube of the battery, which made the pressure disappear, and thus you cannot use the battery, because you would burn it”.
“The second day was pretty good, actually, we learned a lot and that’s what gives me good hopes, if you have a clean day and make quick progress. We learned a lot throughout this second day.”
“Friday morning we had an oil leak after nine laps and we took the engine out of the car, tried to fix it, put it back, and the oil leak was bigger. So that’s the end of our day. The verdict end of the tests is that the second day was good, the rest, not so much”.
Steiner spoke of the delays in the garage and how they were made worse by the fact that the team has not yet got used to the new car.
“These cars are very complicated and if you take everything out for the first time it’s just very difficult for the mechanics. So when these things happen for the first time it takes longer to see what it is and even longer to fix it. they had gotten used to a car that was almost three years old and now everything is new”.
Like other teams, Haas suffered from porpoising at the end of the straight. Steiner revealed that the problem first surfaced on filming day in Barcelona, which may have given the team’s engineers a small head start in dealing with it before testing began.
“Like everyone else, we have to learn about soil and porpoising. I think we will all catch up. Formula 1 teams know how to react very well,” Steiner explained. “We discovered it during filming day and, that same night, we already had people in the wind tunnel. The aerodynamics guys were on it right away, to relieve some pressure.”
The Haas boss also shared his thoughts on Pirelli’s new 18-inch tires for the 2022 season. “I’ve heard very few complaints about the wheels, which is a good sign. when it comes to tires.
“The wear rate is good. Everything seems to be going well, but no one has really lapped yet, so it’s a bit early to shout hallelujah.”
Despite the lack of mileage, Steiner is confident that the team will not be stuck in the back of the pack, as it was in 2021.
“I don’t think anybody really knows what to expect. Sure I don’t think we’re the fastest, but I don’t think we’re the slowest either.”
The Haas boss also noted that the VF-22 design team, which reports to Simone Resta , has started to work more closely with the team that goes to the races.
“It is clear that we have to learn because those guys have been practically isolated for a year. They did not contribute anything to the 2021 car because it was not necessary, since we did not do anything.
“And now that they are back, I think without a doubt that the bond will become stronger throughout the year, because these guys are going to improve this car, they are going to work directly on the car, whereas last year they worked on their project. And the guys on the team that went to the races just did that.”
