Kevin Magnussen has offered a fascinating insight into the limitations surrounding the relative performance of the Haas VF-23.
It is a car team boss Guenther Steiner has suggested is capable of scoring points at every event, though in reality, it has not added to its tally since Miami two races ago.
The squad sits seventh in the constructors’ championship, nine points behind McLaren, and although tied with Alfa Romeo following the Spanish Grand Prix, is ahead on countback.
In an interview with Speedafe, technical director Simone Resta said the team is planning on delivering a stream of updates throughout the season.
Although there were no new parts in Spain, a new floor was introduced in Miami, along with a front suspension and front wing in Monaco.
“We feel like we have a pretty good aero platform,” said Magnussen. “We feel like we have quite a strong package in smooth and high-speed, flowing, more traditional tracks.
“Ride is still something that we need to address and try to improve because when we go to bumpier tracks, and low-speed tracks, that’s where we feel that we are lacking some performance.”
Haas employs a unique structure in terms of its operation, with the team’s factory based out of Banbury in the United Kingdom.
Its design office, in which Resta operates, is housed within Ferrari’s facility in Maranello, Italy, and is supported by Dallara which is an hour north in Parma.
There is a separate office in Charlotte in the United States, too.
Since entering F1, Haas has enjoyed a close relationship with Ferrari, which not only supplies power units but other components allowed under the regulations.
Curiously, ride appears to be a limiting factor for the SF-23 too, a car described by Charles Leclerc as “peaky”.
“It’s many things in conjunction,” Magnussen explained when asked if the Haas ride limitations were a result of set-up issue or one that required developments to resolve.
“It’s just about being as compliant to the track, the warps and bumps in the track, but at the same time keeping an aerodynamic platform that works well.
“They’re very complicated, these cars; you can’t just go fully to mechanical grip because then you have these aerodynamics that are very complex, and the attitude of the car has to be in the right area to maximise the aerodynamic performance.
“The compromise between these two is always the battle for all teams.”
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