Guenther Steiner has explained why Haas's huge forthcoming upgrade package at the United States should not be considered a B-spec to its VF-23 machine.
Haas has struggled in 2023 with high tyre degradation in races which means strong qualifying performances from Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have largely not translated into points finishes.
The duo have scored 12 points between them - with a best of seventh for Hulkenberg in Australia with the team currently sitting ninth in the Constructors' with five rounds remaining.
For its home race at Austin, Haas will be delivering a huge package which the team believes will chart its course for the 2024 car, but Steiner will not call the package a B-spec.
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Steiner's Haas upgrades
"We started off, it was OK and then couldn’t make any progress, performance-wise. We just couldn’t find any performance," Steiner explained to media including RacingNews365.
"Therefore, we didn't bring upgrades because there was nothing to be upgraded because what we found wasn't any better. So, we had to make a complete U-turn and go a different direction.
"that’s what we did: we decided before the summer break to do that, and now we're bringing something for Austin, which for us is a big upgrade for the direction we want to go next year.
"We want to learn as much as possible, and hopefully bring some performance for the last five races.
"We need to see what it does but also to understand where we are going next year a little bit better because what we have got now, we just don't know what the car is doing from weekend to weekend.
"I wouldn't call it a B-spec because we [haven't changed] the suspension or the gearbox.
"We have gone with the bodywork style like at least seven of the other teams have got.
"So, we'll go that direction and just start a little bit afresh with the concept, which will hopefully get us some performance over time, which we couldn't get with this concept we have got now."