Rookies or experience at Haas? Steiner gives his views

F1 News

22 October 2020 at 17:52
Last update 22 October 2020 at 20:28
  • GPblog.com

Now that Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen are leaving Haas, there's an opportunity for two new drivers to join the team. Will Haas go for experience, youth, or a combination? Team boss Guenther Steiner has used Red Bull Racing and Verstappen as an example of how a lineup can go wrong.

Balance in the team

There are plenty of choices for Haas. Experienced drivers like Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg are on the market and talented youngsters like Mick Schumacher, Callum Ilott, Robert Shwartzman and of course Nikita Mazepin are eager to make their F1 debut. The question now is whether Haas will go for the experience, rookies, or a combination.

Guenther Steiner seems to have a preference for two rookies next year. “If you have got a very good experienced one, and a rookie who finds it difficult to find his way, he loses his confidence. Is that good? No," he said as quoted by Motorsport.com. The Haas team boss thinks Red Bull Racing is a good example of how it can go wrong.

"Look at what happened to a lot of people who were in the same team as Max [Verstappen] They all struggle, because he is so good.”

Trying something new

"Maybe two rookies is a good thing, I don't know that yet. That is one of the things we are evaluating as well, do we need one experienced one or not, or can we do it with two rookies?," Steiner continued.

"Sometimes, just trying something different, it helps as well to learn about it, and sometimes learns that you shouldn't have done it as well. I'm fully aware of that one."