The plane carrying Haas’ cars broke down in Turkey
The plane that was supposed to transport Haas' cars and spare parts to Bahrain broke down in Istanbul. While the team is looking for a solution, the threat of a delay for the start of the testing session is becoming more apparent.
The struggle continues for Haas. After losing their lucrative sponsor Uralkali and their driver Nikita Mazepin, the American team could now miss the start of testing in Bahrain. The issue lies with one of the cargo planes carrying Haas’ cars and equipment, which is currently experiencing a breakdown in Istanbul.
While the majority of teams are expected to receive their shipments today, Haas remains uncertain about a solution. The cars and parts are currently at Doncaster airport in England. The situation with freight traffic makes it difficult to find another plane to quickly reach Bahrain. According to information from Auto Motor und Sport, Haas could use a cargo plane from East Midlands airport (90 km from Doncaster). This plane is expected to depart for Leipzig tonight, before heading to Bahrain on Tuesday morning. Therefore, the cars would not arrive on the island state before tomorrow evening.
A delay that worries the team boss, Günther Steiner: « We may have to cancel the first day of testing. The other teams have a two-day advantage over us in preparation. » A delay that the team could have done without after disappointing tests in Barcelona marked by multiple technical issues. Mazepin and Schumacher were only able to complete 160 laps, the lowest total among the ten teams.
Mick Schumacher and Pietro Fittipaldi, announced replacements for Mazepin in the tests, may be able to make up for this day. The regulations state that if a team misses a day due to a force majeure event, they are allowed to make it up, most likely on Sunday, March 13th. A delay would be yet another setback for Haas, who had placed high hopes on this season to the point of sacrificing 2021. In addition to the geopolitical issues that have shaken the team, the on-track results so far are also far from satisfactory… Is this the beginning of a new nightmarish season?
