No pre-Austria test for Haas

Jun.24 (GMM) Haas will not follow in the wheel-tracks of other Formula 1 teams by organising a pre-Austria test.

Mercedes, Renault and Racing Point have already hit the track in preparation for the first ‘ghost races’, Alpha Tauri is currently in the garage at Imola and Red Bull intends to run at Silverstone on Thursday.

Ferrari, meanwhile, ran a two-year-old car for Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc at Mugello on Tuesday.

“It was great to get those feelings from a car once again and to do so at such a spectacular track. I really think Mugello deserves to host a grand prix,” said Vettel.

However, Haas has no plans to run prior to Austria.

“I don’t think our drivers need a lot of testing,” team boss Gunther Steiner is quoted by Corriere dello Sport.

“It would certainly be nice for them, but for us, that’s not a priority at the moment,” he added.

It is almost certainly a pure financial decision, given that Williams, McLaren and Alfa Romeo are among the other teams opting against testing.

McLaren’s drivers opted instead to drive Formula 3 cars run by the Carlin team last week.

“Maybe those who have tested will have a slight advantage, I won’t deny it,” Steiner said. “But it won’t be huge.

“We have applied the new social distancing rules in our factory and so we are ready from that point of view.

“If you have the financial resources to do private tests then it is normal to do so, but I am calm, we are preparing as best we can and I am sure that we will give our best in Austria,” he added.