Gene Haas' new American F1 team

  • Thread starter Roo
  • 700 comments
  • 40,599 views
Then you are over-reacting. For one, USF1 was a vanity project. Windsor and Anderson wanted into the sport, and positioned themselves as an American brand to try and bolster their chances. The team did not collapse because it was American.

Secondly, there is no evidence to suggest that anyone who worked for USF1 will be working for Haas should he get in. Even then, USF1's failure came about because of the incompetence of a select few in management, so even if Haas recruits a few mechanics or engineers associated with the project, that does not guarantee that they are doomed.

Finally, Haas plans to outsource the design if his chassis to an experienced design studio, rather than try to build it in-house in the space of six months. The FIA is announcing which candidate (if any) has been successful on 27 February, which gives said candidate a year to get ready.
 
prisonermonkeys
Then you are over-reacting. For one, USF1 was a vanity project. Windsor and Anderson wanted into the sport, and positioned themselves as an American brand to try and bolster their chances. The team did not collapse because it was American.

Secondly, there is no evidence to suggest that anyone who worked for USF1 will be working for Haas should he get in. Even then, USF1's failure came about because of the incompetence of a select few in management, so even if Haas recruits a few mechanics or engineers associated with the project, that does not guarantee that they are doomed.
Click to expand...

Where exactly did I say any of that? I'm simply questioning this because its someone else I'm not quite sure about trying to do it, only this time its a NASCAR team owner and I'm unsure if this is serious or if its Gene Haas getting abit too big for his britches (After all, this guy hired Kurt Busch without any input from Stewart).
 
Well, you didn't exactly make a case for anyone to be concerned about Haas' bid, except to call back to a team that folded four years ago, operated by different people with a different approach to getting on the grid. So what cause for concern is there?
 
prisonermonkeys
Well, you didn't exactly make a case for anyone to be concerned about Haas' bid, except to call back to a team that folded four years ago, operated by different people with a different approach to getting on the grid. So what cause for concern is there?
Click to expand...

All I said was I was unsure about whether I think it will or will not succeed. I bought up USF1 because like at that time (before I made the mistake of actually believing it was going to happen), I was unsure about the people wanting to run that team. I just don't want to get my hopes up again for something that ends up not happening. I'm not trying to make any case for people to be concerned, just sharing my feelings about this as I'm on the fence about it.
 
Something very odd just happened in GP2 - ART Grand Prix have taken Stoffel Vandoorne and SuperGT racer Takuya Izawa. Vandoorne has been placed by McLaren, but Izawa seems to be coming with Honda's blessing. After all, he has been racing for Honda in SuperGT.

This presents a mathematical impossibility: McLaren have two seats, but between them and Honda, they have four drivers - Button, Magnussen, Vandoorne and now Izawa. Even if Button leaves, that is three drivers into two seats (and does not take into account the rumours of Alonso returning). So why would Honda place a thirty year-old domestic touring car driver in a Formula 1 feeder series a year before they enter Formula 1 themselves?

I suspect they are either going to try and swing a team over to using Honda power, or support an entry bid for a team as they did with Super Aguri.
 
Well, a Honda B-Team managed to get Yuji Ide on the grid...:nervous:
 
If this is indeed their plan, at least give them credit for trying to do it right - Ide was just thrown straight into the sport; Izawa, at least, comes from an open-wheel background in Formula Nippon, and will get experience in GP2 first.
 
The Izawa move to GP2 is quite surprising and so completely incomprehensible. Everyone thought the rumoured Japanese driver moving to GP2 was going to be Naoki Yamamoto, and for good reason as he's young-ish, coming off very good seasons in both Super GT and Super Formula and commented at the end of the season that he was considering moving to European racing for 2014. For Honda to choose Izawa for a path to a potential F1 seat (a good driver, but near enough 30 and certainly nothing spectacular) over Yamamoto and Tsukakoshi is hard to believe and probably politically motivated. Izawa did get the 3rd one-off Suzuka WTCC seat after all, it definitely seems his relationship with his employer is very good.
prisonermonkeys
If this is indeed their plan, at least give them credit for trying to do it right - Ide was just thrown straight into the sport; Izawa, at least, comes from an open-wheel background in Formula Nippon, and will get experience in GP2 first.
Click to expand...
Ide also had plenty of experience in single seaters and finished 2nd in Formula Nippon the year before his F1 foray. But you're right, Ide was thrown into an unfortunate situation and the lack of testing and language barriers did him in, combined with lacking a bit of the necessary talent for F1. The F1 adventure ended up ruining his career as after he went back to Formula Nippon his results were very poor and he ended up retiring/pushed out of top line Japanese racing in 2010. Ide's Super Aguri stint was a poorly conceived and unfortunate situation all around.
 
Ardius
What has Izawa got to do with Haas? Oh right nothing :confused:
Click to expand...
Do you think it would be a better idea to start up a new thread for every rumour and story about a new team, or to keep them all in one spot, like the silly season thread?
 
I dont understand your perpetual desire to cram every topic into singular threads as if making a new thread is a dirty horrible act and the horror of a thread with no or only 1 or 2 replies is something you cant bare to see. If something isnt worth discussing, it dies naturally, it doesnt have to be crammed into some irrelevant thread just so you save forum space. Theres a big green Post New Thread button, use it!

If you want to start a thread about F1 team rumours, go ahead, but don't hijack existing threads just because you feel its worth changing the subject.
 
Apparently Bernie doesn't think Gene is willing to spend money to bribe him run an F1 team.

Jayski.com
UPDATE: Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone does not think multi-millionaire NASCAR team owner Gene Haas can afford to enter Formula One in 2015. A published report by the Sporting News on Jan. 16 estimated that Haas's net worth was $740 million in 2011. The business partner in NASCAR's Stewart-Haas racing operation announced recently that he has responded to the FIA's 'call for expressions of interest' in filling the vacant slot in pit lane. In addition to his NASCAR operation, Haas heads one of the best wind tunnels in the world, and according to the German media outlet Auto Motor und Sport, he would start in F1 with a healthy three-digit million budget. But F1 chief executive Ecclestone told Racer he thinks it "most unlikely" Haas will enter F1, because of the sport's huge costs. "They (Haas) have been talking about it for three years," F1 business journalist Caroline Reid quoted Ecclestone as saying. "Somebody can have $10 billion in the bank, but it doesn't mean they are going to spend it."(Autoweek)(1-25-2014)
Click to expand...

This also seems like Bernie is admitting the budget cap won't work...
 
Justin
Apparently Bernie doesn't think Gene is willing to spend money to bribe him run an F1 team.



This also seems like Bernie is admitting the budget cap won't work...
Click to expand...

Most likey because he doesn't want it to work and it's stupid to think (for the troll Bernie) that Stefan will do a better job when they seem to be on par with Moda. I think Haas will do better than the guy with shallow plans to get in to F1 since 2009.
 
If you are willing to spend I'd wager about 200 million on an F1 team and it isn't enough, I wonder if Red Bull's expenses are nearing the billion dollar mark....
 
It's believed that both Ferrari and Red Bull have spent up to $400 million in the past. That is about as high as it gets.
 
prisonermonkeys
It's believed that both Ferrari and Red Bull have spent up to $400 million in the past. That is about as high as it gets.
Click to expand...
I'm aware they weren't really spending that much. I think Bernie is just being very bullish on a new United States based F1 team, even when you have the resources of a man like Gene Haas.
But at the same time, that means he's not letting a man like Gene Haas possible enter the sport :rolleyes:
 
Bernie has no say. The FIA are the ones with the power to award grid entries, and if anything, Bernie likes bigger grids because he doesn't like it when there is no competition over tenth place. He is also wrong when he says Haas submitted an unsolicited expression of interest - the FIA announced they were looking for applicants in December last year.
 
From today's media session going on for NASCAR teams:
Jenna Fryer ‏@JennaFryer 19m
Haas says he'd base team in on unused land he has in Kannapolis [North Carolina], but "lean heavily" on European outsourcing. Would want a veteran #F1 driver
Later from same reporter on Twitter:
Haas finally acknowledges "we've got a shot. I don't think it's a great shot" and Bernie was "skeptical whether we can do it." #F1
Haas says if #F1 doesnt work out, "there's other racing series to try" like #IndyCar. Admits goal is to double machine sales to $2 billion
 
Last edited:
From Jayski:
Haas is pushing ahead with his plans to enter F1 in 2015: Despite Bernie Ecclestone's recent warning, Gene Haas is pushing ahead with his plans to enter F1 in 2015. After Haas, a NASCAR team co-owner, responded to the FIA's invitation to fill the vacant team slot, Ecclestone said publicly he doubts the Californian is prepared to spend what it takes to compete in F1. "He doesn't think we will get the license," Haas responded, "so my chances probably aren't that great of a shot." Nevertheless, Italy's specialist Autosprint reports that Haas is pushing ahead. Correspondent Alberto Antonini said Haas is preparing to meet the FIA's next application deadline of Feb. 10, including demonstrating its ability and willingness to compete with an adequate budget. Autosprint also said Haas, whose project involves the former F1 personality Gunther Steiner, is pushing ahead with plans to field a Dallara chassis in 2015, mated to Ferrari's V6 and energy-recovery 'power unit.' "We look forward to future developments," Antonini said.(FoxSports)(2-7-2014)
Click to expand...
 
Deadline for full entries is today. Unsubstantiated rumours suggest the FIA has been equally impressed by the Kolles/Kodewa and Haas entries, and is willing to consider both for a grid spot depending on the strength of their full entry (and likely a site visit).
 
Would be nice if both teams got a spot on the grid, even though they would just be backmarkers for awhile.
 
Dotini
So why not Danica Patrick and Kyle Larson!
Click to expand...

Well, Pastor somehow has a super license, so why not! They could even turn it into a game, every time you pass them without ending up in the pits, you get a point.:lol:
 
Hopefully the FIA takes both, with the future of many teams in question it seems better to accept 2 just in case a current team drops out. There's no chance Stefan GP gets in though, especially since Stefanovic took legal action against the FIA after they denied him in 2010.

Funny thing is that he had Toyota's 2010 car, so assuming he wasn't the next Andrea Sassetti Stefan GP should have been able to beat the other newcomers.
 
Lets not get too carried away with this. I have traced the rumour back to thejudge13, and I am not sure what to make of him. He used to post on F1 Fanatic, but he mostly just did it to piggyback readers, linking to his own blog. I think he got told to stop it, since I have not seen him for a year or so. He rarely cites sources and seems to base most of his content on his own observations.
 
What veteran driver could Haas land if this team does happen? He has explicitly stated he wants an F1 veteran in a car.
 
Ganon83
What veteran driver could Haas land if this team does happen? He has explicitly stated he wants an F1 veteran in a car.
Click to expand...

I would guess Heikki Kovalainen would be a front runner as he has the most recent experience, I also wouldn't be shocked if some former drivers like Timo Glock or Vitantonio Liuzzi were considered. I could also see them grabbing someone like Adrian Sutil or Felipe Massa if they get dropped from their current teams at the end of the year.
 

Latest Posts

Back