Formula 1 outfit Haas cannot seem to catch a break at the moment with their bad luck as their cargo plane from the UK was reportedly stranded en route to Bahrain.
Out of the 10 teams on the current F1 grid, Haas seem to have the most pre-season issues. This time it could be that their equipment does not arrive on time for the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
On Monday, it was reported that the American team’s cargo plane was stranded at Istanbul airport while it was on its way to Bahrain from the UK. The flight is reportedly undergoing technical problems and hence, may force the team to miss their first day of preseason testing in Bahrain.
Reports from Auto Motor claim that the US racing team is now looking for replacement solutions, which is a gamble given the tense situation in cargo air traffic. It is believed that the rest of the F1 teams expect the bulk of their equipment to arrive in Bahrain by Monday, March 7th.
According to reports, Haas’ cars and spares will arrive no earlier than Tuesday morning. Hence, it will force them to miss the first day of pre-season training which is on Thursday, March 10th.
Team boss Guenther Steiner also explained that there is a good chance his team might have to miss out on Day 1 of the preseason testing in Bahrain. The 56-year-old spoke to Auto Sport and said, “We can probably write off the first day of testing. All the other teams have a two-day head start in their preparations.”
Haas’ unfortunate events so far
Only a few weeks ago, Haas severed ties with Uralkali, their former Russian sponsors amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Then, the team decided to part ways with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin just a few days later.
Haas is still on the lookout for a replacement driver to replace Mazepin. But the team confirmed that Pietro Fittipaldi will feature at some point in Bahrain. Haas also managed to complete a mere 160 laps during pre-season testing at Barcelona due to reliability issues.
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