Despite showing signs of improvement in the 2022 F1 season, the Haas F1 team had a drastically different season in 2023. This was a season where they finished in P10 in the Constructors’ championship with just 12 points, two places behind last year’s placement and 25 points less. This has come despite the late-season upgrades that the American team brought to change their fortune a bit.
The team faced enormous issues with the upgrade of the car and even with the experienced lineup that consisted of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, they faced challenges in understanding the car development. All in all, they were in a mode of jeopardy.
However, team principal Guenther Steiner knows how to deal with this, but there’s only one condition and even Max Verstappen will not be able to handle it. Steiner believes that “aero performance” is where the Banbury-based team needs to get better. He knows that only one aero genius can turn things around and it is no other than Adrian Newey, the man responsible for Red Bull’s massive dominance.
When asked by Stefan O. about who can join the team for free and turn things around, Steiner said as per The Athletic, “I will take Adrian Newey because I’m sure he can make a car which can win. The answer is quite obvious. Even if you take Max (Verstappen) with our car, we wouldn’t win. I think if we had a Red Bull, Nico could win races and Kevin.”
Not Lewis Hamilton, but Max Verstappen is Guenther Steiner’s choice
Max Verstappen is undoubtedly the most sought-after driver in F1 right now. The Dutchman took 19 wins out of 22 races this season and cruised his way into claiming his third straight F1 world championship.
This supreme form of the 26-year-old led the Haas boss Guenther Steiner to pick Verstappen over Hamilton, a seven-time world champion. Apart from this, Verstappen also claimed a staggering 44 wins in the last three seasons, which is undoubtedly nothing short of phenomenal.
On the other hand, Hamilton is not having the form he has had in the last decade. The Mercedes driver has been winless for over two seasons now as his last win came in Saudi Arabia in 2021. Furthermore, it is not guaranteed when Hamilton is expected to have his next win.
On the comparison, Steiner said, “He (Verstappen) is currently on the role. He cannot do anything wrong, in my opinion. And everything what he does sticks. So you want to go with the guy that has got the touch to him.”
