SILVERSTONE, U.K. -- Guenther Steiner says Haas is capable of beating Renault to fourth in the championship in 2018.
Haas has returned to having the best car of the midfield runners and in Austria secured its best-ever result, with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen finishing fourth and fifth respectively. It helped Haas recoup some of the points dropped at the start of the year.
The team has not previously voiced its ambition in terms of targets but Steiner says its obvious what it should be now.
"Yes, we have to," Steiner said about the new target. "Why would we sit here say we just want to come fifth? You always try to go for what is possible and this is done with respect and this isn't arrogance.
"You need to try to go for fourth because [Renault] are 30 points in front of us. It can be done but also there's a chance it cannot be done but for sure the aim is to go for it."
When asked what it would mean for F1's newest team to record such a strong result in its third season, he laughed and said "We would get a lot more money! Lots more bonuses!"
He then went on to suggest that fourth would put the team under increased pressure in 2019.
"On a sporting side, for the team, it would be, and I think you all agree, a big achievement a team in its third year finishing fourth, even fifth is a big achievement. The difficulty then comes, you have to repeat it as where do you go from there but I think we will cross that bridge when we come fourth."
Now Haas is back on form -- and claimed a result which he called "redemption" for its double pit-stop error at the Australian Grand Prix -- Magnussen says the team must avoid the up and down form of previous seasons if it wants to stay in the fight with Renault.
"I think we've certainly got the car to compete for fourth, at least at many of the races but the thing that will decide this championship is consistency", he said. "With us still learning a lot, gaining a lot of experience, still being on the steep end of the learning curve, that will be the challenge. I am not saying we can't do it, we've got the car and the talent in the team to do it but we just need to string it together.