Small Formula 1 teams "naive" to think 2021 wins possible - Haas
Haas F1 boss Gunther Steiner says it would be "very naive" to believe a smaller Formula 1 team could fight for race wins from the 2021 season
A planned overhaul of the technical regulations - plus the introduction of a budget cap - is expected to mix up the field after years of domination from Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
However, as team owner Gene Haas considers the future of his squad in Formula 1, Steiner reckons it would be wrong to try to convince the American that 2021 will present a chance to fight near the front.
"It's very naive. It's not going to happen," Steiner told Autosport about the prospect of smaller teams fighting for wins in 2021.
"I think it's difficult to [know what to] say to convince him [Gene Haas]. He needs to convince himself. That's how I see it.
"He understands that best. I don't think I can do a lot to convince him, he needs to convince himself that this is what he wants to do, that this is what he wants to use his marketing money to invest in.
"He's got a good enough understanding that if I tell him he can win in 2021, he might say 'he [Steiner] doesn't know what he's doing'. I would have to agree with him. So, I don't know.
"But, as I said, there is still so many open issues here that at the moment I don't know if he should make a decision."
F1 will introduce a costs limit of $175m - excluding driver salaries and fees associated with engines among other exemptions - in 2021, and will be in place until at least the 2025 season.
Steiner thinks the cap doesn't go far enough in helping smaller outfits and says a "second step" will be necessary in order to allow a team like Haas to make a big jump ahead.
"I think there needs to be a second step in the budget cap because otherwise it just won't happen [smaller teams fighting for wins], because the financials, the payouts I don't think are getting that good that in the future the smaller teams can reach the levels of the budget cap, the top level," he said.
"I don't think any of the smaller teams are prepared to spend that amount of money because there is no return on investment at some stage.
"So, for sure it should close the gap maybe already in '22, but a good step would be to make a second go at the numbers and I think nobody would disagree with that."
The driver who can wreck F1's "super exciting" 2020 silly season
Chadwick earns increased Williams F1 simulator programme in 2020
Porsche boss “as surprised as anyone” over Gulf-Williams F1 social media frenzy
Porsche’s head of motorsport Thomas Laudenbach found it “funny” that streamlining its Instagram channels caused a Formula 1 social media speculation frenzy last month.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Daly to attempt 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team
IndyCar driver Conor Daly has announced plans to enter the 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team, making his superspeedway debut in NASCAR Cup.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.