F1: Tech complexity 'a little bit overwhelming,' Haas admits

Gene Haas has conceded to being "a little bit overwhelmed" by the complex nature of Formula 1 following his induction over the past few days.

Although entering F1 on a solid footing, given his own motorsport background in the United States and building a car complete with Ferrari power unit and a raft of other parts, Haas says he was taken aback by what he has so far experienced. In particular, the past two days of the second test at Barcelona have opened Haas's eyes given the technical issues that have confined Esteban Gutierrez to the garage.

Gutierrez completed just 23 laps on Tuesday prior to the VF-16 sustaining a fuel system issue, followed by an overnight replacement of the turbocharger. With telemetry showing that turbo revving too high on the installation lap on Wednesday, another replacement has had to be installed.

"The past two days have been very frustrating. The weather is perfect, the track is good, and we want to be out there," said Haas. "We had an especially good week last week, but this is more what a typical normal week would be.

"I don't really have an explanation of why we're experiencing these problems now. But talking to others I think it's pretty typical you lose a day here and there because something doesn't go quite right, and that is what we've had the last two days."

Haas is trying to come to terms with the technical nature of F1, compared to what he has become accustomed to with his NASCAR operation.

"The complexity of the cars and engines and what we are doing with them is way beyond anything I ever expected," added Haas. "The technical aspect of the cars is fascinating. I think for the engineers especially, who design and work on them, it's a real challenge to get these cars to do what they do.

"So, while it's a real challenge on one hand, on the other I don't think the fans understand how complex it is. Even I didn't know. I was kind of naive, too, about what goes into making one of these cars run.

"It is a very complex process, it is a complex car, it's a complex way to race cars – and right now, it's a little bit overwhelming, to be honest with you."

Gutierrez called on the team to be patient as it encounters the numerous teething troubles it is now facing.

"It is frustrating, which is not the nicest thing," said Gutierrez. "We just we need to keep our focus and find solutions to the situations we are experiencing at the moment.

"The focus has to be there and not to lose patience because the whole team is working very hard to be prepared for Melbourne."

Originally on Autosport.com