Haas does not hide the fact that they have copied Ferrari’s aerodynamics

Copying a Formula 1 team has never been prohibited. The obligation concerns the development of all elements from A to Z and being able to provide evidence of its development.

Günther Steiner does not hide the fact that he took inspiration from Ferrari to develop and bring upgrades to the Haas. This includes a new floor, an air ventilation and cooling system on the bodywork, rear suspensions, and other less visible changes. At the moment, these upgrades are present on only one car and are being tested by Kevin Magnussen.

Taking inspiration from the Ferrari F1-75 makes sense for Haas, who already share their engine and gearbox with the prancing horse. However, Steiner confirms that their evolutions are not solely the result of observing the work done on Ferrari. Red Bull and Mercedes have also been sources of inspiration.

« We are close to Ferrari so obviously we will see what they do and we will copy them if it seems interesting. But it takes time because we have to understand the current race car, then do wind tunnel testing and test here.

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Nevertheless, the good performances at the beginning of the season allowed more time for their technical team to observe the developments brought by the other teams and try to make a mix: « There are three different concepts: Ferrari’s, Red Bull’s, and Mercedes’. We thought that we had to try to win as much as possible and therefore see what worked well everywhere and determine which direction to take. He explained this to Motorsport.

Steiner justified himself by explaining that they didn’t really have any interest in copying other teams, like Williams, who have a different concept and lesser performances. “If someone asks me why we don’t copy Williams, I mean, without disrespecting them, they have a different concept and are behind us in performance… why would we want to do that,” he commented.