Haas halts 2021 development at Imola

It’s an open secret but Haas isn’t betting on the 2021 season. Günther Steiner warned as early as Thursday afternoon in the Sakhir paddock: the American team will field the final version of its VF-21… from the 2nd race onwards!

Some slight modifications are planned during the three-week break following the first stage of the championship. « We have a late development that we will introduce in Imola but it will be the final stage of the car » explained the team principal to the journalists present in Bahrain.

Steiner: after Imola, we will no longer change the car

For the Bahrain Grand Prix this Sunday, the two rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin will therefore have to deal with a car that is not completely finished. The changes should be minimal, the engineers will not have much time to make the final modifications before Imola. “It’s just small parts that weren’t ready on time. We will have them in Imola and we will add them, then we won’t change the car anymore,” said the team director since 2014.

Equipped with the weak Ferrari engine last season, the Haas car is back with the output of the Italian team. The few improvements made on the Maranello side should also be beneficial for the American firm. Progress is expected and the car has evolved a lot after a difficult 2020 season.

« The bodywork has changed because there have been modifications to the engine, obviously. The brakes too… there are some major changes if you compare it to last year’s car,” Steiner adds.

A rebuilding year for Haas, with a different SF-21 and two promising but young new drivers. However, the team should not be idle and will prepare, like the others, for the 2022 season and its new regulations.