"Very naive" for small teams to think they have a chance to win beyond 2021

Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has called it "very naive" of people to think smaller teams will have a chance to fight for wins beyond 2021, as he believes the big teams will still be quickest after the cost cap will be introduced. 

Steiner's team had their worst season to date in 2019 since becoming an F1 constructor back in 2016, finishing ninth in the championship with only Williams behind them.

This came after a very promising 2018, where the relatively small team fought Renault for fourth place for the majority of the season before eventually finishing fifth.

With the cost cap coming up in 2021, where all teams will be allowed to spend a maximum of $175 million on performance-related development. The goal is to shrink down the gulf between the top teams and the smaller teams on the grid, but Steiner thinks it's silly to think any of these midfield teams will actually be challenging for wins under the new regulations.

"It's very naive. It's not going to happen," Steiner was quoted by Motorsport.com when asked about smaller teams potentially battling at the front of the grid.

Team owner Gene Haas has been considering the future of his adventure in Formula 1 beyond 2021. While Steiner would obviously want to keep fighting on the grid next year, he does underline it's ultimately up to Gene himself.

"I think it's difficult to say what to convince him [to stay in F1]," Steiner continued "He needs to convince himself. That's how I see it.

"He's got a good enough understanding that if I tell him he can win in 2021, he might say 'he doesn't know what he's doing'. I would have to agree with him. So, I don't know.

"But, as I said, there is still so much open issues here that at the moment I don't know if he should make a decision now."

Both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen have been contracted for the 2020 season but not beyond that. Should Haas stay in F1, they have another dilemma on their hands there!