The Haas Formula 1 team is saving around a quarter of a million dollars through the use of a smaller pit wall for the 2023 season.
The money is being reinvested into car development as Haas looks to make gains up the midfield pecking order.
The revised pit wall was spotted on the opening day of pre-season testing, with just three seats featured in the set-up.
Key senior members of F1 teams sit on the pit wall through testing and grand prix weekends, with other outfits utilising up to eight seats in their structure.
However, Haas has opted to redesign its system for the upcoming yeas, which is saving it $250,000 through transport costs.
“When you need to make efficiencies, you look at everything, but not efficiency, when you need money to invest in development because we have the cost cap, where do you put it?” said team boss Guenther Steiner.
“We have six people out there, or a quarter of a million on car updates? I know what we are doing, and the guys came up with that idea.
“If I need to stay inside, I have no problem to as well. I don’t need to be there. With three seats, we can cover what we need to cover and we rearrange.
“It’s mainly a saving to put that money into development because we are at the cost cap.”
The small pit wall does not directly aid Haas’ cost cap budget, as travel expenses are not covered under the $135m spending limit.
However, the leftover money will allow for more investment into car development as Haas looks to spend close to the budget cap this year after signing with a new title sponsor.
“That’s what we do the only way to get faster is development so we try to free up as much as possible for development and not spend it on prat perches for example, having a lot of people there,” Steiner added.
“This year we could plan a lot better as well because last year everything was late and we couldn’t look too far forward, we just needed to get to the first race.
“This year, by signing everything off a little bit earlier, we could start a little bit earlier with the development and have a better plan to put them on the car.”
Haas enters the season with a slightly revised line-up, as Nico Hulkenberg has returned to the sport to partner Kevin Magnussen.
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