Haas had plenty of reason to celebrate as it has been able to deliver a new car for the 2021 season on time. However, there is a small hurdle to overcome for the team.
While the team has managed to deliver the car, the engine from Ferrari is a problem. While it can enter the country, there are no engineers to install it.
This is the first time Haas has built its car in the factory at Banbury, England. Usually, the parts were sent from Banbury to Italy. However, since so many parts remain the same, it is probably a safer option to do things the other way around. That too presents a stumbling block.
According to the German publication Auto, Motor und Sport, the parts of the new car are already ready. The assembling of the VF-21 was lined up for early February. This would enable the car to be ready for a test midway through the month.
All of this can still be done as the engine is ready to be installed. But there are no engineers to do it!
What complicates matters further is the fact that a mandatory two-week quarantine has to be observed when someone enters England. Team boss Günther Steiner is also stuck in America as a result of this.
”If I wanted to go to the factory now, I would have to spend two weeks in quarantine. There are only exceptions for athletes,” Steiner said. This means that Mick Schumacher will be able to go to the factory soon.
Without Ferrari engineers, the engine can’t be installed. Any help from Ferrari is unlikely at this stage and Haas may well have to wait until the teams meet in Bahrain when the winter test starts.
Any informal test before that seems unlikely.