Guenther Steiner admitted he is more interested in defending his team's current position in the constructors' standings than he is about a possible charge for sixth place.
Haas have endured a difficult time in recent years. The 2020 season saw them score just three points with only Williams worse off, while they were rock bottom last year as they suffered the ignominy of failing to score a single points throughout the campaign.
But in 2022 there have been green shoots of recovery. A fifth-placed finish for returning star Kevin Magnussen in the Bahrain curtain-raiser probably raised hopes too high, but still 38 points earned with three races remaining is a positive total considering their woes of 12 months ago.
And it could get better. With three rounds to go, Haas are 13 points behind Aston Martin in seventh while Alfa Romeo are only one point better off in sixth. It would be unlikely, but it remains possible for the American team to improve their place in the standings even further.
But, as he sat down for a chat with Mirror Sport, team chief Steiner said he is more concerned about defending the position they have than he is about catching those above them – especially with AlphaTauri just two points adrift. "At the moment, I think we had better concentrate on defending eighth position, and then attacking seventh," he said.
"I'd rather have eighth than take risks to get to seventh – we would need to get lucky. It's all about defence at the moment."
After failing to be in any way competitive in 2021, Steiner came across as a man simply pleased to be back fighting for something again this year. Giving his assessment on how the season has gone for his team, he added: "It has been a year with lots of ups and downs. From where we were last year, where we've got to is very good, and we can build up from here.
"To hope to be plain sailing after the last two years was a little too optimistic, but all in all we're on a good path to get better for the future. This year was challenging, difficult, but we got some nice ups as well like in Bahrain, Austria, Silverstone, Austin – we were never good in Austin – so all in all, I'm happy.
"What we have to do now is build on what we achieve this year. We have our confidence back – most of it – and we need to build on that, and I think it's achievable. We've shown before that we can do it, and we can do it again."
