How does Haas plan to save money in order to develop the VF-23?
The Haas F1 Team will save $250,000 on transportation costs this season by reducing the size of its pit wall.
While everyone’s eyes are fixed on the new cars on the track during the winter tests, another element has caught attention. In Gene Haas’ American team, a new configuration on the pit wall has been unveiled, featuring only three seats, while other teams have five or even seven.
“When you need to increase efficiency, you look at everything,” says team director Günther Steiner.
« When you need money to invest in development because we have a cost ceiling, where do you put it? »
« Do you have six people on the field, or a quarter of a million on car updates? I know what we’re doing. And the guys came up with this idea, I said that if I had to stay inside, I don’t have a problem either. I don’t need to be there. »
They said that with three seats, we can cover what we need to cover, and we’re rearranging. But it’s mostly a savings to put that money into development because we’re at the cost ceiling.
More development for more performance
Alongside team manager Pete Crolla and chief race engineer Ayao Komatsu, Steiner will therefore stay on the pit wall. When asked if these savings, amounting to 250,000 dollars, are already yielding results in terms of car development, he replies:
« Absolutely! The only way to go faster is through development, so we are trying to invest in that rather than having a large number of people present. »
This year, we were able to plan better because last season, we were late and simply needed to get to the first race. This time, we were able to start developing the car a little earlier.
