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Haas set for 2017 driver decision after Monza

Guenther Steiner says he is in no hurry to decide on Haas' driver line-up for the 2017 season, revealing a decision won't be taken until after September's Italian Grand Prix.

The American team hit the headlines at the start of the year after Romain Grosjean finished inside the top six in Australia and Bahrain, though points have been harder to come by for the Frenchman since then and his team-mate Esteban Gutrierrez is yet to get on the scoreboard.

As it stands, neither driver is officially confirmed for 2017 but while Grosjean is expected to stay on for a second year, Gutierrez's future remains rather more uncertain with sometime FP1 driver and GP3 title contender Charles Leclerc potentially in the frame.

Nevertheless, Steiner says Haas's decision won't be influenced by movements in the driver market before then with no decision to come until after Monza in a month's time.

"If you know where you are it's better than this uncertainty. We are very confident we can say after Monza. Last year we said the same that we would tell the drivers - maybe we were a few weeks late but we didn't wait until [the winter]. Normally we do what we say, or we try to. It gives the whole team certainty and you can focus on the car and performance."

Following its strong start to the season, Haas has slipped to eighth in the constructors' standings after 12 rounds. 

Zdroj: crash.net