Haas are fighting for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but need to outscore Alpine.
The American team sit in seventh place in the standings and need to overturn their rival’s five-point advantage in the final round of the season.
Haas have improved a lot this season to consistently be in and around the top 10 and scoring valuable points on a range of circuits.
Both Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are leaving the team at the end of the season but are still pushing to deliver sixth place in the championship, which would give Haas more prize money.
Haas are going to have to be very efficient over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend and a double points-scoring finish would help.
Despite the American team’s good form heading into the final round of the season, former Formula 1 driver Anthony Davidson outlined one concern he has about Haas.
Anthony Davidson worried whether Haas’ car was pointed ‘too much to qualifying’
Haas had some good speed around the Yas Marina Circuit in the final practice session ahead of qualifying as both cars were in the top 10.
The two cars looked quick but very difficult to drive, mainly in the final sector of the lap, where keeping the rear tyres alive is vital.
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They were sliding throughout the final few turns as the rear tyres overheated, which doesn’t point to a balanced car over a race distance.
They kept up the good performance in qualifying, as Hulkenberg broke into the top 10 to set the seventh-quickest time on the grid.
Magnussen had a slightly more difficult day as he could only manage 15th place during his final weekend for the Haas team. He hit a bollard in the first part of qualifying, which damaged the floor and overall performance.
Davidson explained a good setup over a single lap to achieve a competitive starting position on the grid may cause Haas to drop backwards in the Grand Prix.
He said on Sky Sports F1 (7/12, 11:26): “Look at this. This is what we were talking about, wasn’t it? The rear tyres slide early.
“And my only concern for Haas, yes, they’ve got lap time in their car, but have they geared it up too much to qualifying? Look at that again. You can’t have a balance like this through the race. You’re going to go backwards.”
Haas will have to adjust to an all-new line-up next season
Haas won’t be driving with both of Hulkenberg and Magnussen and they are being replaced by Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman who is stepping up from Formula 2.
The American team may take some adjusting to their two new drivers and build on their improved season and a new collaboration with Toyota that’ll lift the team.
Ocon will have to lead the team and his knowledge coming from Alpine should be helpful next season as Haas look to improve further.
Bearman has been impressive during his races in Formula 1 for Ferrari and Haas but a full season with much more experience and expectation may be more difficult.
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