Gene Haas gets OK to start Formula One team

[Rey C.]

I've been a big fan of Gene Haas (more his company and its products) for about 20 years. So this is great news! Haas Automation is the biggest machine tool maker in the western world. And it represents a real showcase for American technology. I wish him nothing but success... as long as he doesn't pay any attention to the know-nothings and fair-weather fans who want him to put Princess Sparkle Pony/Danica in an F1 car (purely) as a publicity stunt. To be taken seriously by the F1 world, (IMO) he needs to stay away from the types of publicity stunts that helped sink teams like USF1 and Spyker years ago (Spyker wanted Paris H!lton to be a spokesmodel for the team - and then they sank like a rock! USF1 entertained putting Danicant in as a driver and couldn't even get a car built - then their financiers pulled out and they died). It sounds like he may be able to get Ferrari engines and Dallara's assistance in developing a chassis for the 2015 season. And while Ferrari has weak engines this year and Dallara's experience is mainly in GP2 (and the IRL), it's still good that both know the ropes in the F1 world. F1 a closed system and I think any bit of help from insiders will be helpful.

Here's hoping that Haas is able to put the U.S. on the map with an F1 team that helps us forget about USF1 flaccid.

April 11, 2014 8:04 PM EDT

DARLINGTON, S.C. — NASCAR team owner Gene Haas has been granted a license to start a Formula One team and he hopes to have cars on the F1 grid next year.

Haas, a co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, will base the team out of the SHR facility in North Carolina, but team co-owner, Tony Stewart, is not an owner in the Formula One team.


“Obviously, we’re extremely pleased to have been granted a Formula One license by the FIA,” Haas said in a statement. “It’s an exciting time for me, Haas Automation and anyone who wanted to see an American team return to Formula One. Now, the really hard work begins. It’s a challenge we embrace as we work to put cars on the grid.

“I want to thank the FIA for this opportunity and the diligence everyone put forth to see our license application come to fruition.”

It didn’t always appear that Haas would get a team as he said in January he wasn’t overly optimistic. But Haas, who owns the highly successful CNC machine builder Haas Automation, was able to convince the F1 governing body that he had the financial strength to start a Formula One team.

Last week at Texas, Haas said he had applications from people for all sorts of jobs, including drivers.

“We have a stack of applications of various people from all different venues as far as aerodynamicists and Formula One designers and I’m sure there are some racecar drivers in there, too,” Haas said last week. “But it’s like anything else, you’ve got a stack of 200 resumes, you’ve just got to find the ones that know what they’re doing.

“It’s kind of all up in the air. As things go forward it will be clearer, but you can’t really do anything until we actually have been notified that we’re a participant.”
Gene Haas and Tony Stewart (AP Photo)

Now that he’s gotten approval, he can start making decisions. He will have former Red Bull Racing executive and Formula One veteran Gunther Steiner run the team.

Stewart-Haas fields Sprint Cup teams for Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and former IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, but none of them are likely candidates for the F1 team.

Stewart said he was happy for Haas.

"That’s a pretty cool deal," Stewart said Friday night after qualifying at Darlington Raceway. "Not anybody can just go get one of those, so he had to go through the approval process and got approved and I’m happy for him."

The three-time Cup champion reiterated that he will not play a role and doesn't expect his NASCAR teams will be able to benefit too much from having the F1 shop at the same facility.

“It’s two totally separate programs,” Stewart said. “I won’t have any involvement in it. … It doesn’t affect the Cup stuff.”

One of the early steps will be finding an engine supplier.

“There’s only three engine suppliers, you’ve got Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari,” Haas said last week. “There’s not too much to pick from. Next year there will be Honda, but probably Honda is not really viable. … It’s kind of up in the air.

“It’s up to us to negotiate that (price). We have talked to Mercedes and with Ferrari, just preliminary discussions, but we haven’t nailed anything down yet. I guess that would be the next move.”

 

[Chopper3000]

Their biggest hurdle is to develop a car that can go around corners instead of just driving around ovals. Good luck with that one USA!

 

[Rey C.]

As Gene Haas has already stated, the team's biggest hurdle will be quickly building an infrastructure (people and processes) that can take Haas Formula from relying on technical partners (like Dallara or whomever) to being an autonomous chassis constructor within a season or two. Haas owns a separate company (Windshear, Inc) which operates a full size wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina. It's more advanced than the Ferrari wind tunnel and is actually one of the most advanced in the world. F1 teams, other racing teams and many commercial customers use it for advanced aerodynamic and CFD studies. So I think he has the aero testing side in hand. The trick will be getting competent people on board who know how to develop a concept that has some legs right off the bat. HRT was a team that started with bad concepts and then they couldn't find their way home before they went tits up. Haas is quite sharp and technical himself. A lot of the Europeans who get involved in F1 (and other series) aren't that technical or only know how to throw money at problems (McLaren is one of the best examples of that philosophy). I've kept up with Haas Automation's progress for nearly 20 years. More so than the rich boy, internet billionaires, who think that backing an F1 team will be kewl, Gene Haas is the real deal, IMO.

With its base to be in Kannapolis, NC, I'm looking forward to taking a tour as soon as its open and available for viewing.

 

[zeeblofowl_1969]

Humongous undertaking