Haas F1 Team will return to action after the summer recess at the Belgian Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps can trace its history back to the immediate aftermath of the First World War. The triangle of public routes linking the villages of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot were used for a fast and sweeping circuit that stretched out across 14km of undulating Belgian countryside. It was used for the Belgian Grand Prix in Formula 1's inaugural season in 1950 but its dangerous nature drew criticism and by the end of the 1960s it had become an outdated relic. Formula 1 moved its Belgian Grand Prix to Nivelles and Zolder before eventually returning to a reprofiled Spa-Francorchamps in 1983, where it has since remained.

The circuit remains one of Formula 1's finest, featuring several iconic corners, most notably the steep rise through Eau Rouge/Raidillon, the high-speed Pouhon and Blanchimont corners, and the twisty Bus Stop chicane. It requires a set-up compromise, with the first and third sectors almost entirely dependent on top-end speed, segmented by a second sector that is reliant on downforce.

Wet weather can also influence proceedings, as demonstrated at the grand prix in 2021, when rain led to Formula 1's shortest-ever race taking place. Since then circuit officials have acted; while the layout has not been altered several run-off areas have been reprofiled for safety purposes, with gravel traps reintroduced at some corners. At 7km, it is the longest circuit on Formula 1's current calendar.

Haas F1 Team racers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher both have vast experience of Spa-Francorchamps. Magnussen has participated in six Belgian grands prix, including four with Haas F1 Team, while Schumacher made his Belgian Grand Prix debut in 2021, having previously thrived at the circuit in FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3.

Haas F1 Team enters the next phase of the season seventh in the Constructors' Championship on 34 points (Magnussen 11th, 22 points; Schumacher 15th, 12 points).

What were the highlights from your time off during the mandatory FIA shutdown and do you feel re-charged ahead of the second part of the 2022 season?
Guenther Steiner: "My highlight was not doing anything for a week - I went to the seaside with my family and enjoyed that. I also went to the wedding of our Team Manager, which was a big party in Scotland. I feel I'm recharged now, and we've got some more races to go before the end of the season and hopefully we can come back strong."

The VF-22 upgrade package that was sampled at the Hungarian Grand Prix just before the break - what was the early feedback and review from Kevin and the team, despite the relatively small data sampling from just one race weekend?
GS: "We could see that the on-car numbers were corelating to the wind tunnel numbers, which is always a good sign, and now we have to get the best out of it in lap time. Before the shutdown, the team looked at the data closely and will do more now they're back from the break but at the moment it looks good and hopefully we can better our lap time."

Will both Kevin and Mick run the full upgrade package on their VF-22's at the Belgian Grand Prix?
GS: "Yes, both cars will have the upgrade package. We had one kit ready before the shutdown so we said we'll put it on one car to collect some data so when we're back, we have that data and now we can already work on the set-up, getting out in Spa straightaway."

What are the main objectives for the team over the nine remaining races in the 2022 season? Have you re-adjusted targets based on the strong showing of the VF-22?
GS: "We haven't readjusted, we are just back to where we wanted to be at the beginning of the season, now being in seventh. Hopefully we can keep this position in the championship, that's battle number one. Battle number two is trying to get to sixth, but let's see. We will always do our best and try to improve or at least not fall back."

Finally, the team announced that Antonio Giovinazzi will run a couple of FP1 sessions in Italy and in the United States. Can you share the background to this opportunity coming around for Antonio?
GS: "Antonio is the reserve driver of Ferrari and they asked us if he could be in the car just to refresh him. When he gets in the car, he will have finished his Formula E season so there are no distractions for him anymore and I think he will attend all the races for Ferrari as reserve driver. Knowing our relationship with Ferrari, we're more than happy to do this. They're a big help in what we are doing, and I think it's a good opportunity for Antonio to put him back in the spotlight, going out in FP1. He's been out of Formula 1 for a year now, running in Formula E, so let's see what he can do in FP1 so at least he can get accustomed again to the latest specification Formula 1 car."

Welcome back from holidays! What did you get up to during the summer break and what are your feelings coming into the second leg of the season?
Kevin Magnussen: "I went sailing with my family and some friends in Denmark and enjoyed not travelling for a few weeks and now I've got fully charged batteries ready to push for the second half of the season. I'm very excited for the second part - more work with the car and the upgrade - hoping to get more out of it and make more progress which hopefully will get us some more points."

For Round 14, we head to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix. It's a track with great heritage, producing memorable sporting moments throughout the decades and is home to the legendary Eau Rouge. What do you like about this track and what memories does it hold for you - from both watching as a child to racing around it yourself?
KM: "Spa is an awesome track, it's a legendary track. It's super-fast so not only is the history of the place very special but driving around it is a very special feeling. It's a great race and one that's always looked forward to in the year. Actually, it was the first Formula 1 race I went to as a child with my dad and my first memory of Formula 1 is from that weekend."

New for this season, run-off sections have been changed at Eau Rouge and Raidillon as well as new gravel traps being incorporated at other corners, all to improve safety. Do you welcome these modifications, and do you expect any of the updates to change your approach to the track or impact racing on Sunday?
KM: "I think it's good to have gravel instead of tarmac run-off as I feel it's safer in some ways and it makes it easier in terms of track limits. It makes it simpler and also a little more challenging as pushing the limits will have a bigger risk, which is a good thing I think."

A new technical directive will come into place from this race, measuring the vertical forces acting upon cars following feedback from drivers around porpoising. How is the VF-22 currently handling, is it a challenge that you're getting used to or are you still noticing it and where do you think Haas ranks among teams with the issue?
KM: "I don't feel that porpoising is an issue anymore. It was certainly an issue at the beginning of the season but very quickly we made changes to the car to address this issue. We had to sacrifice a bit of performance to get the porpoising sorted but then gradually we've been able to build back that performance without the porpoising returning. I do think it's something that teams can solve if they really want to, but it does come at a cost performance-wise but we've done that and many other teams have done it, so the teams who haven't done it yet will have to."

Welcome back from holidays! What did you get up to during the summer break and what are your feelings coming into the second leg of the season?
Mick Schumacher: "I'm happy to be back. It's been a good three weeks now out of the car and it felt weird at first and obviously pretty soon into the holidays I was itching to get back, so happy it's finally here and we're driving soon. I stayed on an island for the most part with friends and family and got to enjoy some time on a boat, enjoyed some time in the water and had some great dinners combined with some work - I'd say I haven't gained too much weight which I'm happy about.

"What can we expect for the second part of the season, hopefully more points. We have some tracks ahead which should be good for us, and we have some tracks that will probably be difficult. Nevertheless, it's Formula 1 and there's a high chance of a crazy event where hopefully we're not in the crazy part of it and we have the chance to score some big points, so I'm really looking forward to it. It's a full grind back into it and we'll give it our best at every event and hopefully reap the rewards. I'm fully recharged and ready to rumble!"

For Round 14, we head to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix. It's a track with great heritage, producing memorable sporting moments throughout the decades and is home to the legendary Eau Rouge. What do you like about this track and what memories does it hold for you - from both watching as a child to racing around it yourself?
MS: "Spa itself is just so historical but also on top of it, it's a very special place for us as a family and for me as well because I've had some really good races there, like back in 2018, but on the other hand also one of our worst races. Spa has a lot of up and downs but it will always be the most historical and special race for all of us."

New for this season, run-off sections have been changed at Eau Rouge and Raidillon as well as new gravel traps being incorporated at other corners, all to improve safety. Do you welcome these modifications, and do you expect any of the updates to change your approach to the track or impact racing on Sunday?
MS: "In terms of safety I think we always welcome any changes for the greater good. I'm looking forward to seeing how they are and what they bring. I don't imagine it changing too much while driving because it's quite a quick track and the approaches are usually quite similar so I think there's not going to be a huge change in the approach."

A new technical directive will come into place from this race, measuring the vertical forces acting upon cars following feedback from drivers around porpoising. How is the VF-22 currently handling, is it a challenge that you're getting used to or are you still noticing it and where do you think Haas ranks among teams with the issue?
MS: "I think we've all been quite surprised by the issue that we found at the beginning of the year and our car has improved a lot since then. The worst occurrence of the porpoising we've found so far was in Baku, and I think that was the same for every other team as well but since then actually it's been quite good. We've been on tracks that are smooth and there is no longer physical pain involved with the porpoising but obviously there's a limit to it and we're at the limit which I think every team is. I think we're among the teams that have the least bouncing, there are teams that are suffering from it a lot more than us."