Guenther Steiner is praying for more reliable power units in 2023, knowing his team missed out on points this year due to engine reliability issues.
In an interview with Mirror Sport, the Haas chief discussed the deal his team currently has with engine suppliers Ferrari. Rather like the Italian team themselves, they have been thwarted on several occasions this season when suffering engine problems while in points-scoring positions.
"I don't think it's completely resolved, I think they are working on it," said Steiner when asked about the current situation. The interview took place before first practice in Mexico this weekend, which provided a timely piece of evidence to support that statement.
During FP1, Pietro Fittipaldi was asked to stop his car on track when a power unit issue was identified. Shortly after, Haas confirmed they had fitted a sixth internal combustion engine of the year – only three are allowed per season – to Kevin Magnussen's car, incurring a five-place grid penalty for the Dane.
Looking ahead, Steiner said: "It should be okay now with the new power units that are coming in, and hopefully for next year it is resolved because we had quite a few issues this year, with a few crashes and then power unit problems, they have not helped us.
"I wouldn't say that we got lucky! It is a strong unit, we didn't have the problem like we did [in 2021], that we were underpowered. We have the power now – now it's just getting the reliability down and I'm confident that can be done for next year."
If those problems do persist, Steiner admitted Haas have the option of switching to an alternative supplier. "It's frustrating and I get really upset about it," he added. "It is not completely out of our hands because we can go somewhere else, but that is maybe a worse decision for us. There are always pros and cons to everything.
"In the moment when it happens it is frustrating, but then you think about it – I'd rather have a power unit which has power with reliability issues, than starting on a Friday knowing you don't have the power and you can't do anything about it. At least when you have reliability issues but good power, you can start to be positive about it.
"The only thing we could do is go to somebody else, but that is difficult as well because the neighbour's grass is always greener, until you get there."
Asked specifically if Haas are currently considering their options on power unit suppliers, Steiner replied: "No, not at the moment. We have an agreement and Ferrari was always good with us. We work well together, so at the moment we don't want to change."
