Haas chief Guenther Steiner has revealed one key aim he hopes to achieve when deciding the team’s driver line-up for 2021.
The American squad has had an unchanged pairing of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean since 2017, but the past two seasons have been tough with the team battling towards the back of the grid.
That has raised the possibility of Haas opting for a different path with technical partner Ferrari having three juniors at the front in Formula 2 and other options like Nico Hulkenberg also available.
Recently, Steiner jokingly suggested anyone interested could apply for a seat next year, and at Monza, he offered some insight on how the final decision will be reached.
“It’s been a strange year, let’s call it the COVID year, it’s changed everything, it’s changed all the timelines,” he said via Motorsport Week.
“We are not in a hurry. It’s better to think a little bit more and make the right decision, even if the perfect decision goes away.
“But we need to do it properly and see what we’re going to do. We’ve got two good drivers at the moment and we can always fall back on them, I guess.
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“One thing, in my opinion, we need to do is, whoever is in the car in ’21 should be in the car for ’22,” he noted.
“With the new car coming, if you know the driver at least you’ve sorted something out.
“Even if it’s the guys who are now in, if they stay, they should stay for at least the next two years. I’m against swapping for ’22 with the new car, new driver, that could be difficult.”
Both Magnussen and Grosjean confirmed talks are yet to begin, while the future of the Frenchman has been seen as more uncertain.
Commenting on his future though, he believes the current lack of results misrepresents his performances.
“Some years I’m not so proud about my season, 2018, obviously the first half I wasn’t happy with myself,” he said.
“This year, when I look at it I’d say I’m doing a good job. That’s really what matters to me.
“I think the best you can do is to do the best you can with your car,” he added.
“Yes, we’re not fighting for podiums, yes, we’re not fighting for wins, but no-one would with our car. So that’s alright.
“We’re more starting at the back and again, the best we can do is to help the team improve.”
