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Haas chief confident in race for fourth

"We were cautiously optimistic that could be achieved"

By Franck Drui

16 July 2018 - 12:45
Haas chief confident in race for fourth

With a summer break looming, the race for the ‘prize’ of being the fourth-placed team (behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull) is as tight as ever. Doing so heightens the team in the esteem of their peers, in a sport where technical one-upmanship can be crucial towards results.

Prior to the penultimate race prior to the 2018 summer break (in Nurburgring), Renault topped the perceived ‘second tier’ in the constructor’s championship table with 70 points. That the French constructor managed to open up such a gap is due to the resilience of Nico Hulkenberg, who recovered well from a retirement in Austria with a strong sixth-place finish at Silverstone.

However, the smart money is on Renault to press on and win fourth place. Hulkenberg is an accomplished driver, but he is set to be aided by improved machinery in the next phase of the 2018 season. A new turbo is set to help his cause, with the presence of a ‘containing measure’ proving effective in his improved finish at Silverstone.

2016: Grosjean is announced as a Haas driver.

Only debuting as an F1 constructor in 2016, the American outfit has always had its doubters, yet there has been no sign of Haas slowing up in their pursuit of greater recognition. Haas’ outright odds for the constructor’s title, on betting price comparison sites like Oddschecker, remain stratospheric. However, in the context of finishing in the top four, they are very encouraging.

Amongst the optimistic voices at Haas HQ, team boss Gunther Steiner’s is an exceptionally loud one. When asked if Haas could finish fourth ahead of Renault he simply said: “absolutely”.

July began in dream fashion for Haas, with a double points finish for the first time this season. While mighty Mercedes melted in the high-altitude surroundings of Spielberg, each of Haas duo Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen conducted themselves brilliantly, with Grosjean’s points being a particularly welcome change in form after eight races without a single point.

It was a case of ‘normal service resumed’ in the British Grand Prix, with Grosjean retiring and Magnussen finishing low in the points (9th). The partnership between Grosjean and Haas is as old as Haas’ run in F1, and with the Frenchman scoring every one of Haas’ twenty-nine points in 2016, it is one with an exceptionally solid foundation.

Though there are still plenty of races to go, that foundation itself is a strength that Renault will do well to respect, and makes plans around. With the VF-18 car in an apparently constant state of evolution, anything is still possible. So too is a surge from Force India, and the actions taken by each team during the summer break will – as ever – be crucial towards cementing status as ‘best of the rest’.

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