Haas concerned over rivals exploiting 2019 rule change

Guenther Steiner admits that Haas could be caught cold by 2019's new regulations if a rival team discovers something that the American squad are unable to uncover. Changes of technical rules often throw up big surprises, although the aerodynamic changes slated for next season are not expected to be so disruptive.

Haas finished an impressive fifth in the constructors' standings last season, in just their third year of existence, and arguably had the ace to challenge Renault for fourth, only for some bad fortune and poor race management to let them down.

Steiner is confident that Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean will once again be delivered worthy machinery this year, but will have eyes on their rivals for any surprising developments.

"Everything is on schedule as it should be," Steiner said.

"It is like every year, you have some stuff which is a little bit behind but it's nothing abnormal. I'm confident we'll have a good car but I don't know how good the other ones are.

"We are happy with our numbers and what we do but with the new regulations, if somebody found something we are not aware of, how can I know that? But I'm pretty confident that we are doing a good job.

"I think everyone will go for that position and even better, and we will as well.

"We just need to do a good job like we did last year over the winter and bring a good car, there is no secret. Everyone will be trying to get that position.

"Last year if somebody had said Haas was going to finish fifth nobody would have believed it, and would have said how do you do it?

"I don't know how but you do your best and if nobody does a better job then that's where we end up.

"If we do a good job, which I think we do, but somebody else does that little bit more, they will be in front and we will have to live with that and just try to get them again. It's a development race."

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