What to expect from Haas in 2024

It won't be long until F1 teams begin to take the covers off theirnew challengers for the upcoming season as we eagerly anticipatethe first track running of the year in the Bahrain test. Ahead ofthe car launches, RacingNews365 will take a look at what to expectfrom each team ahead of the new campaign and first up is Haas,which finished bottom of the Constructors' standings last term.Overcoming tyre woes Haas showed decent speed over one lap lastseason, particularly in the hands of new recruit Nico Hulkenberg.Yet when the races began on Sundays, excessive tyre wear at therear of the car left both Hulkenberg and teammate Kevin Magnussensitting ducks against rivals. There were fundamental problems withthe car design that contributed to the issues, which oftenprescribed an earlier pit stop for the two drivers compared to thecompetition and regularly led to an extra change of tyres at theend of the race. If this issue is overcome with the new machinery,it is hard to see why the American-owned outfit can't make a moveup the Constructors' standings. Ferrari dependence? The close bondbetween Ferrari and Haas usually dictates similar fortunes for thetwo teams, at least when it comes to reliability. The Scuderia'spower unit has struggled for reliability in the past two seasonsand was the catalyst for Charles Leclerc's slump from the lead ofthe 2022 title. This has trickled down to Haas and fellow Ferraricustomer Sauber, with both teams forced to overcome variousfailures over the past two seasons. But conversely, whenever theFerrari power unit has performed, both teams have reaped thoserewards too and, should any problems be overcome, should leave Haasin a good position relative to its midfield rivals. With theMaranello design office likely to take inspiration from the Ferrarichallenger, any early signs of performance for Messrs Leclerc andSainz should provide optimism for Hulkenberg and Magnussen.Hulkenberg form to continue Hulkenberg had been out of F1 for threeyears when making his comeback for Haas last season, though thisbreak was interspersed with a number of impressive substituteperformances for Aston Martin [and formerly Racing Point]. TheGerman hit the ground running and whilst race performances wereoften overshadowed by the aforementioned tyre wear issues,qualifying speed underlined just why Team Principal GuentherSteiner drafted Hulkenberg in to partner Magnussen. In Canada,Hulkenberg sparkled in testing conditions to set the second-fastesttime, though a subsequent penalty for a red-flag infringementdropped him to fourth on the grid. If this form can continue inconjunction with a step forward mechanically for Haas, pointsshould be free-flowing for Hulkenberg. Magnussen to bounce back Onthe other side of the garage, Magnussen struggled in comparison. Infairness to the Danish driver, the VF-23 did not lend itself tostrong results, yet the margin to Hulkenberg in qualifying onnumerous occasions would have been a disappointment, givenMagnussen's own strong comeback to the sport a year previous. Thestruggle was so that questions were being asked over Magnussen'sfuture mid-season, though in truth his place with the team wasnever under any real threat. Given his ability behind the wheel ofan F1 car, it is fair to expect a bounce back of sorts from him,though a further slump could spell the end of his third spell inthe sport. Steiner vs Stewards? One common theme of the past twoseasons has been the battle between Steiner and the race stewardsover a number of contentious decisions. Two years ago, the TeamPrincipal felt disrespected by a number of inconsistenciesregarding the use of the black and orange flag, used to highlight amechanical issue that must be rectified in the pits. Magnussen wascalled in on three separate occasions through the season for adangerous front wing, yet the call was not made to Red Bull'sSergio Perez late in the season - something that left Steinerirate. Further issues arose last season when Hulkenberg waspenalised for overtaking manoeuvers in Monaco. Will there be peacebetween Steiner and the stewards this year?