Haas hopes to benefit from 'frail' Renault in F1 constructors' dice
Haas believes Renault's recent engine problems could help swing the battle for sixth in the Formula 1 constructors' championship in this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Renault customer Toro Rosso currently holds a four-point advantage over the works Renault team, with Haas a further two points back.
Haas team principal Gunther Steiner said the possibility of either or both its rivals being hampered by engine problems or grid penalties gives his Ferrari-powered squad a potential advantage.
"With the engine we don't have an issue," said Steiner.
"You can always have a failure, but there's not a bigger risk than there was at the races before. The engine this year was pretty reliable.
"Renault seems to be a little bit frail at the moment in all three teams, so that can come our way.
"But we still need to get our car in the points.
"Even if they finish behind us and we are 11th and 12th, nothing changes,
"We need to do a very good race weekend, and then hope that maybe they've got some issues."
Steiner ruled out Haas rolling the dice and taking extra risks this weekend.
"You just try to do as good as always," said Steiner.
"If there was anything we could do special, we would have done it already. That maybe sounds too simple, but in F1 if you have something, you always try to do it all the time.
"There's nothing to lose, but there was nothing to lose in Brazil.
"I don't think we'll do anything crazy or mad, not to say stupid. There's no need.
"We'll try to do a good job and just go out there and hope we've got a good weekend, and maybe get some points, and the other ones don't.
"But there's nothing we've got up our sleeve that we can do specially for this event."
The jump from eighth, where Haas also finished in 2016, to sixth could be worth $6.5millon in prize money.
Steiner insisted that the prestige associated with landing sixth place in the constructors' championship is as important as the huge sums of money at stake.
"It's always nice to get more. Who would say that three or four million doesn't make a difference?" Steiner added.
"Everything makes a difference, even 100,000. You'd rather have it than not have it.
"I think more than the money it's how close we are and if we missed it.
"Sixth place at the moment is only six points away. If you think if we had six points more, it would be a great season.
"From eighth [last year] to eighth is like, 'yeah, we did more of the same'. Which is true."
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