Steiner: Haas must not 'panic react' to follow Red Bull concept

Guenther Steiner has cautioned against simply following Red Bull's lead on Formula 1 car design and insists that the Haas team will wait until they are "one hundred percent sure" it would be beneficial to them.

Red Bull's dominant form at the start of 2023 has caused many to rethink their development plan for the season, with former rivals Mercedes notably declaring their W14 car as the "wrong direction" at the first race in Bahrain.

Carlos Sainz had also called for Ferrari to consider their car design direction after falling way off the pace in Saudi Arabia, but a change in design philosophy was ruled out by Team Principal Frederic Vasseur.

Aston Martin also drew criticism from Red Bull in 2022 after producing a car with design features similar to the RB18 at the Spanish Grand Prix.

But speaking during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Haas team boss Steiner underlined his belief in their 2023 car, and said any design overhaul would likely come in 2024.

"You always try, and we have tried different concepts, but you cannot jump completely to what Red Bull is doing, because you've got your chassis, your cooling installation, your radiator installation, so you cannot jump," Steiner told media, including RacingNews365.com.

"You try to do more going that way and, obviously, I think everybody's trying to test something, but until we are one hundred percent sure that that is a step forward, why would you go there?

"We are evaluating which way to go next year, but this year it's more like trying to get the air somewhere else and see if it works or not. But just going with the bodywork of Red Bull at the moment which you could copy, doesn't mean that you go faster, because there's a lot [to change] around it to make that work.

"Maybe for next year we'll go there, but at the moment, there is no panic reaction to go there, because I think our car in the midfield is still pretty strong.

"We've under-delivered I must say, and we will get a good [results] day like some people have a good day."

When asked when Haas will make the decision on their 2024 car design, Steiner responded: "June or July".