20/04/2019
NEWS STORY
At a loss to fully understand the tyre issues that have plagued it in the last two races, Haas admits that it is likely to be compromised again this weekend.
"We learned a lot in the two-day test after the Bahrain Grand Prix," says team boss Guenther Steiner. "We understand it, we just couldn't find solutions in time for the upcoming events, because you need to develop those solutions and parts.
"Hopefully we'll get on top of that one, sort the problem, and be as competitive in the races as we are in qualifying."
Asked if the tyre operating window is even smaller than last year, he adds: "I couldn't say that it's more difficult than last year because the car is different - we've developed a completely new car. We just know that we cannot get the tyres to work in the race.
"How big the window is, and to keep in it, is difficult to define," he admits. "We definitely don't get it in the window, so I wouldn't know what it takes to keep it in the window."
Asked what he feels different in the car comparing qualifying to race day, Romain Grosjean admits: "The grip is going. We have good grip in qualifying. On new tyres, the car is amazing, but when we go into the race, we're losing the grip and things become a bit more complicated.
"That's the problem we're facing at the moment. It's probably coming from the way we use the tyres. We haven't managed to get on top of it yet. That's our number one priority for the next few races."
Asked about the operating window, he responds: "That's what we're trying to find out. The window may have moved, or the operating of the tyres may be a bit different with the thinner treads.
"Obviously the chassis is good," he adds, "otherwise we wouldn't be so fast in qualifying, we wouldn't be so fast over one lap. We need to understand the tyres a bit more, and where the window is and how we get there. That's the next task for the engineers."
"The only difference there is between qualifying and the race is that you fill it up with fuel and do more laps on the same set of tyres," says teammate Kevin Magnussen. "It's got to be something with the tyres. We don't understand the full picture, yet, but we're working hard to figure it out.
"The tyres are slightly different this year," he adds. "You have a thinner tread on the tyres, which obviously would have some effect, but mainly it should help with blistering.
"I don't know, though, it's definitely the thing we're focused on at the moment, trying to get more out of the tyres in the race."