Gene Haas set for F1 in 2015

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Gene Haas looks set to take his place in the paddock as F1′s newest team owner in 2015.

Having earlier played down the NASCAR team co-owner’s chances of securing the twelfth team entry, Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said this week: “I think Haas will be accepted.”

“They have got the money but it’s a question of whether they are going to spend it,” the Independent newspaper quotes him as having told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt.

It is believed the FIA recently delayed a decision over Haas’ 2015 application pending Ecclestone’s ‘O.K.’

Money seems to have been the 83-year-old Briton’s main concern.

“A billion would last a new team owner four years,” Ecclestone said. “I’ve spoken to Haas but I don’t know what they are going to do. It’s America, so I don’t know.”

He also didn’t rule out the possibility more teams could soon be following Haas into F1.

“Every year we or the FIA have approaches from new teams,” he said.

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Formula 1 commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone says a U.S. backed team headed by Gene Haas is among two new teams the sport is likely to admit next season. <br />
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Speaking on Sunday ahead of the Bahrain...

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Gene Haas has played down the importance of outside sponsorship in getting his F1 team off the ground – and says his machine tool company will finance the operation, at least at the start.

He also says he wants to make the team profitable.

“Initially Haas Automation will sponsor the team,” said Haas. “The goal here is to improve the branding of Haas Automation throughout the world. That is my primary goal. I don’t want to dilute that at the moment. But as time goes on, we’ll see how that works.

“Obviously, we have a business plan to make this a profitable enterprise over five years, and that will require some sponsorship to come in to do that. Initially Haas will bear that responsibility, but that will also be well-spent money in terms of improving product recognition. As time goes on, to run it as a Formula 1 team that actually does make money and can compete. So those are the long range, and short range plans that I have.”

Regarding the role of F1 in promoting his company, he said: “I spend a lot of time trying to figure out marketing. I build machine tools, and most people don’t even know what machine tools are so that’s a problem. But when it comes to our customer base, everybody wants to buy a premium brand. I think that’s what the goal here is is to associate ourselves with premium brands. I’ve always in the back of my mind have thought that Formula 1 is the premium brand in the world of racing. We’ve done very well with associating machine tools in racing.

“You know it may be similar to Red Bull and drinks. Red Bull is known for having a successful Formula 1 team, and I think it sells a lot of Red Bull for them. So in the same vein, I want to kind of create my own unique product association with Formula 1.

“It’s expensive to do it this way, but the other alternatives would be more media, buying more media or trade shows. Advertising more and going to trade shows more will never, ever increase your brand awareness. What I want to do is create a premium brand for Haas Automation so that when someone in a foreign country who is in the market or in the machine tool metal working market hears my name is going to think that these guys are in Formula 1. I know from Formula 1 that they must be a good product, because only the best compete in Formula 1.

“I want to associate that kind of thought process with the people that potentially could buy my product.”

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British Formula 1 legends Johnny Herbert and John Watson have reservations about Gene Haas’ proposed entry into Formula 1, believing that running the team from the United States will be too great a challenge to be competitive.

NASCAR team owner Haas has been granted a berth on the grid for either 2015 or 2016 (depending on what is best for the team) and formally unveiled Haas Formula at a press conference earlier this month. Former Red Bull technical director Gunther Steiner is set to be team principal, whilst it is thought that there will be a sub-base in Italy that will work in tandem with the core operations in North Carolina.

However, Watson, who finished third in the 1982 world championship with McLaren, believes that the sheer geographical challenge could be too great for Haas.

“For me it’s the wrong move,” he said when asked about running the team from the United States on Sky Sports. “He’s going to be basing his car around the Dallara, I believe, made in Italy. So why base yourself in North America when everything has to be flown from Europe to North America to be assembled to be transported back for a European season?

“I would imagine you’re already starting on the back foot by basing your team in North Carolina.”

Watson believes that Haas would be better off buying one of the existing Formula 1 teams. Caterham, Marussia and Lotus are all rumored to be available to a buyer, and this would give Haas a pre-existing base and team to work with.

“[Buying a team] would be the obvious route to take,” Watson said. “There are a number of teams in the marketplace right now that could be available, but so far they’ve chosen this other direction. Maybe that might change before the end of the season.”

Herbert, who raced alongside Michael Schumacher at Benetton in the mid-90s, also has his doubts.

“I agree with John,” he said. “You’ve got to base it in Europe, you cannot go in American down in the south and then expect when there’s testing, for example, to ship the updates.

“The updates are a big part of what Formula 1 is about, and that’s something they’ve really got to think long and hard because I think it would be a miscalculation basing in America.”

Of course, the geographical challenge of running a team from the United States has not been lost on Haas, and the plans for an Italian operation will go a long way to easing this. With the right preparation and work from those at the team, it is certainly a challenge that can be overcome, despite what the naysayers may think.