Steiner believes a stable set of regulations and retaining the same driver line-up has placed Haas in a better position heading into the new campaign.

“I wouldn’t say it’s been easier, you don’t want to make the job easier. You want to get as much as you can out of what you’ve got. In the first years, it was just getting it all done.

“It’s complex, but once we got our processes better, we just wanted to do more, and that meant better work, which got us a faster car and allowed us to perform.”

VF-18 'the best Haas yet'

Romain Grosjean, who is set to enter his third straight season with the team, is confident Haas’ 2018 challenger is its strongest F1 car yet.

“The VF-18 has a very good baseline,” the Frenchman explained. “The feeling I get in the car is very good, which is the main thing. It’s a good-looking car.

“We know where we can update it and try to get more performance from it. We’re going to work on that. I think it’s the best car we’ve had so far for Haas F1 Team.”

Magnussen concurred with his teammate’s evaluation of Haas’ latest F1 contender.

“I think we made progress with the car. Hopefully, when we get to Australia, we have a package that we know and are happy with.

"It’s been pretty consistent. We’ve only been to one track with it, but we’re going to learn a lot more about it during the season.”