Steiner: We changed the concept because we couldn't make gains

Haas are debuting a big upgrade for their VF-23 at their second home race this season, the United States Grand Prix in Austin, something both drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg have been looking forward to.

The 2023 Haas F1 car has shown decent one-lap speed, but is so aggressive on its tyres that the drives spend Sunday races in free-fall mode down the grid.

A new upgrade, inspired by Red Bull, is not the only change on the VF-23 this weekend, as the team will be running a special livery to celebrate their home race at the Circuit of the Americas. Both drivers will also be donning special race suits.

Previewing the grand prix this weekend, Steiner said: "The upgrade on the VF-23 is aerodynamic. We changed the concept of the car because what we started with, because of the new regulations last year, we couldn't make any more gains performance-wise.

"Creating more downforce and less drag, it just wasn't there anymore, so we needed to change concept, to which is commonly known as the "Red Bull concept" or the "downwash concept"," he added.

"It is a substantial update, and we're able to do this within the cost cap because we didn't have any updates at the beginning of the season because again, going back, we couldn't find any performance that we could make parts to put on the car," Steiner explained.

Magnussen did not hide his excitement about the new concept, he said: "I'd be lying if I didn't hope it will give us a big improvement, but I think there's actually a second element to bringing this upgrade which is to research for next year.

"I think we're all secretly hoping it performs better than what we currently have but actually the bigger target with this is, is the research and the learning we can do for next year's car. I think it's been clear that in very specific circumstances our car can perform, but it's a too narrow window and we need to broaden it and make it more user friendly and compliant with a bigger variety of tracks and conditions," he explained.

"Hopefully we'll be able to follow easier and be more friendly to tyres," the Dane concluded.

Hulkenberg added: "The update is highly anticipated, it's been a long time coming and it's aimed to improve our performance, characteristics, and the weaknesses of the car we've found which has made us struggle especially on Sunday.

"It's to help tyre wear, consistency, and better performance," he pointed out. "Kevin and I since the beginning of the season, or after every session, feedback our findings and feelings to the engineers and designers.

"Hopefully, there's a big jump in performance, but also, we need direction for next year – where we're going to go with this car, which philosophy we'll follow and which direction to take," Hulkenberg concluded.

Haas are ninth in the 2023 F1 Constructors' Championship, only ahead of AlphaTauri, with 12 points on the board.