Despite showing impressive pace in the opening two rounds of 2018, Haas boss Guenther Steiner is unsure if his team will be able to carry this form into this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix.
Haas has struggled for pace at the Shanghai International Circuit in the previous two seasons -- failing to make Q3 with either of its drivers in both years and Kevin Magnussen's eighth-place in 2017 its only points finish. The American team has enjoyed a strong start to 2018 after the pit-stop troubles it faced in Australia, it bounced back in Bahrain with a fifth-place finish.
Steiner believes the cooler temperatures expected in China will not suit Haas as much as the warmer temperatures experienced in Australia and Bahrain.
"We are confident, but China was always one of our weak spots,'' Steiner said. ''We go always there with a bit of 'hmm, really?'''
"We always struggle in China. I'm a little bit wary of the low temperatures which doesn't seem to suit our car that much. I'm just a little bit cautious. I don't want to say 'yeah we go to China and we'll qualify sixth again'. There's a lot of performing people here in the middle."
Toro Rosso caught the headlines in Bahrain with Pierre Gasly's fourth-place finish. Steiner shrugged off questions whether he was concerned by Toro Rosso's recent upturn in form and believes the momentum in the midfield battle will shift on a race-by-race basis.
"It's not worrying, it's something you need to try to beat. That is not a worry. Our car is good, so we just need to try and get the best out of it. In qualifying, we were two-hundredths slower than Pierre. That is not a worry. They did a good job. We maybe need to do a better job. But I think it's a good basis.
"I think you're correct on that one because Toro Rosso came up here, and then the Renault and McLaren dropped a little bit here."