Steiner: 'Hardline' driver approach might change for 2025

Haas Team Principal Guenter Steiner believes the team's current "hardline" approach to having an experienced driver lineup over rookies might change for 2025.

The team elected to go with the experienced lineup of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg for 2023, after it was revealed that Mick Schumacher had cost the team millions of dollars in crash damage throughout the 2022 season.

Both Magnussen and Hulkenberg were retained on one-year deals for 2024, as the team wanted to have the experience to complement its ambitions to get further up the grid.

It ran an all-rookie lineup during the 2021 season with Nikita Mazepin and Schumacher, although Steiner has opened up the possibility of changing their current position for 2025 given the state of the current driver market.

"I think it was a hardline position at some stage," Steiner told media, including RacingNews365.

"In 2025 it opens up. At some stage we will have new drivers coming into F1 because some are getting on in their career.

"It's too early to make decisions, but I think next year a lot of people will start moving early in the season to make sure that in 2025 they are in a good place."

More time to test rookies?

Haas recently tested F2 star and Ferrari Driver Academy prospect Oliver Bearman, having also ran him as part of their FP1 allocation for rookie drivers.

When asked if there needs to be more time to prepare rookie drivers, Steiner does not think there needs to be more testing with current-spec cars.

“Obviously you can say, no, but then again, we don’t want testing because then we go out and test the cars and spend money, money, money," said Steiner.

“Now, what a lot of these drivers are doing, they’re running with the older cars. These older cars, they’re still pretty fast cars. I think they can make experience that way if a manufacturer pushes a young driver.

“So they’ve got the opportunity there and then you have got FP1s, but obviously, would the drivers like to have more possibility to learn about F1? Sure.

“It is what it is and I think with the compromise that they can run two-year-old cars, I think we are fine.”