Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says the new Formula 1 team has switched its full focus to the development of its car for the 2017 season.
The American outfit scored three top eight finishes in the opening four races, courtesy of Romain Grosjean, but has struggled at recent events.
Haas is currently eighth in the championship and while there is still plenty of time to go in the 2016 season, big regulation changes will be introduced next year.
Steiner revealed the team has decided to focus fully on the 2017 season and the considerable technical changes.
"We are developing [some 2016 parts] in the wind tunnel but our main focus is on 2017," he told reporters at the Red Bull Ring, ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
"You can do so much for 2016 and where we ended up in 2016 is better than what everyone expected, so let's focus on next year because if we focus on 2016 that car has got another 12 races left.
“Next year's car has hopefully five years left. If you build a good platform to start off with, it's almost impossible [for rivals] to catch up.
"Look at Mercedes – they came up with a rocket under the new regulations and nobody could catch up – everyone gets closer, but the big leap is almost impossible as your wind tunnel time is restricted.
"So we are focusing on next year because that means hopefully not just next year but the next five years."
Steiner said Haas was thinking about developing a new front wing for this year’s VF-16, but it has yet to make a decision.
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