Guenther Steiner Vehemently Defends Haas as Nico Hülkenberg Openly Flogs American Team for Vegas Debacle

In the wake of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, internal tensions within the Haas F1 Team have surfaced. Team Principal Guenther Steiner fiercely defended the team’s efforts, while Nico Hülkenberg openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome of the race.

In a clash of opinions and frustrations, Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner finds himself on the defensive. He countered the scathing remarks made by driver Nico Hülkenberg after his day ended with a technical issue in what was otherwise one of the better performances by the team. However, it’s not just the results that frustrated the 36-year-old Haas driver. He is also worried about the development path of the team for next season.

Guenther Steiner defends the American racing team after concerning remarks from his driver

Both Nico Hülkenberg and his teammate Kevin Magnussen faced disappointment in Las Vegas, failing to secure any points. Hülkenberg’s hopes were dashed by technical issues, forcing an untimely retirement during the final laps of the race.

“Something happened that caused me to lose power, so we will investigate. I feel that we had the degradation and the pace to score points, but we didn’t do it, so I have to review how we could have done better,” the Haas driver explained as quoted by Formula Passion. “The race pace wasn’t bad. I had a good start. But with the incident at turn 1, I had to go wide on the outside and lost many positions. So I was already behind. After that, I felt quite comfortable with the car and felt we had more pace. But there was always traffic, and due to graining concerns, we couldn’t push as much as we wanted.”

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In the face of disappointment, Guenther Steiner stood firm, defending the team’s performance. Despite languishing at the bottom of the Constructors’ standings, Steiner acknowledged the hard-fought efforts of both drivers and emphasized the opportunity to close the gap with Alfa Romeo, just four points ahead. “Both drivers fought hard today to get the best out of the car,” Steiner asserted. “I believe they succeeded in staying ahead of our direct rivals. We couldn’t get closer to the top teams. And both cars got stuck behind a Williams, and we couldn’t overtake. For Nico, unfortunately, something happened to the engine, and Kevin finished in P13. I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

Nico Hülkenberg delivered a worrying verdict on Haas’s development trajectory, adding another layer of complexity to the team’s struggles.

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Declaring both the early-season VF-23 and the later B-spec version “aren’t good enough,” Hülkenberg calls for a reconsideration of the team’s development path ahead of the next season. Haas’ 2023 car, quick in qualifying, proved to be a tire-eater, raising questions about the impact of Ferrari parts. Transitioning to a Red Bull-styled design at the United States Grand Prix not only failed to address the issue but exacerbated it, taking a “big hit” in high-speed performance.

The team’s quest for improvement saw Nico Hülkenberg revert to the old-spec VF-23 for the final two races, a strategic move not mirrored by teammate Kevin Magnussen. “We had three races with the new package, and while there were some small benefits, there were also some not-so-good aspects with it. It was not the step forward that we needed from a big update,” Hülkenberg explained during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. “I think I just felt a little bit more comfortable and confident on the old package. And I think with the two circuits that we have here now, it favors that slightly more so hence that call.”

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The fallout from the Las Vegas Grand Prix paints a vivid picture of the Haas F1 Team’s internal challenges, with Steiner defending against external criticisms, while Hülkenberg demands a reevaluation of development strategies. What are your thoughts on the Haas dilemma? Share with us in the comments below.