[Team] Haas: Gene Haas of NASCAR attempting to start F1 team

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by 321Go

News suggests Haas has had a change of mind (sort of) and will now have a base in the UK. In the heart of F1 country in fact. Not Italy or Germany as first planned.

North Carolina, US will still be HQ.

As trailered here on #302 nigh on two weeks ago!

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by 321Go

News suggests Haas has had a change of mind (sort of) and will now have a base in the UK. In the heart of F1 country in fact. Not Italy or Germany as first planned.

North Carolina, US will still be HQ.

I believe there was a sutibale base advertised in Huntington only a few weeks ago, a former motorsport factory.

[davyboy]

Maybe we should set up a betting scam to take wagers on what he'll do next

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Maybe we should set up a betting scam to take wagers on what he'll do next

Danica or a Paydriver??

[VIVA GT]

I would have thought that with the extra sponsorship opportunities & interest having Danica driving would make her effectively a Pay Driver anyway?

[Paradise City]

I can see Bernie behind the scenes working to make Danica Hass's number two. Presuming Bernie is not too busy with certain other matters of course.

I don't see this team making the grid to be perfectly frank but if it does and Danica was part of that, it would be actually quite amusing.

[JeremySmith]

Mr Haas needs to stop talking to the press, it starting to sound rather like US Grand Prix..

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Mr Haas needs to stop talking to the press, it starting to sound rather like US Grand Prix..

Or rather the motor sport press ought to find something more interesting/newsworthy to report.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by 321Go

News suggests Haas has had a change of mind (sort of) and will now have a base in the UK. In the heart of F1 country in fact. Not Italy or Germany as first planned.

North Carolina, US will still be HQ.

According to this article, from yesterday's Autosport, http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114487, Haas talks about shipping cars out from either London or Germany.

I think half the problem with Haas, when talking to the press and it comes across in this article, is he sounds very vague. Whether that's his style or indeed he is clueless, is hard to figure out.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

I think half the problem with Haas, when talking to the press and it comes across in this article, is he sounds very vague. Whether that's his style or indeed he is clueless, is hard to figure out.

Yes it just sounds amateurish...

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

According to this article, from yesterday's Autosport, http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114487, Haas talks about shipping cars out from either London or Germany.

I think half the problem with Haas, when talking to the press and it comes across in this article, is he sounds very vague. Whether that's his style or indeed he is clueless, is hard to figure out.

We do indeed seem to be discussing this ad nauseum, and it does very much puts me in mind of the saga that involved Lotus and Quantam. The Haas story just keeps on giving, and there are rumours, denied of course, that Steiner might be splitting with Haas. If that came about, then they would be history.

But Haas has confirmed that he wants a small squad, between 100 to 200 people, because he doesn't want it to cost too much. Now that sounds like he has had a reality check when he spoke to the other team principles in Canada, and they told him just how much it costs to just get the cars on the the grid at the first race.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Mr Haas needs to stop talking to the press, it starting to sound rather like US Grand Prix..

For a project of this scope, you need to get an idea of the budgets, if the budgets are beyond one's scope, then develop a consortium and if these projections are all feasible, then give the green light.

Best laid plans...of course..but you do need a plan.

Haas gave the green light - or at least he says he has - but all we've got is him shrugging his shoulders and winging it, revolving between half-sober and wildly unrealistic ideas, all vaguely articulated. He's likely trolling us at this point and if so my hats off to him.

[JeremySmith]

It is possible of course that he might have been told that the idea of full customer cars on their way into F1 and to sit tight, run the media around, and not to worry ??

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

For a project of this scope, you need to get an idea of the budgets, if the budgets are beyond one's scope, then develop a consortium and if these projections are all feasible, then give the green light.

Best laid plans...of course..but you do need a plan.

Haas gave the green light - or at least he says he has - but all we've got is him shrugging his shoulders and winging it, revolving between half-sober and wildly unrealistic ideas, all vaguely articulated. He's likely trolling us at this point and if so my hats off to him.

So far there's been nothing about budgets, unless I missed something, it's been mainly about logistics.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

So far there's been nothing about budgets, unless I missed something, it's been mainly about logistics.

Here's a link (the employee numbers are different though: http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns28257.html

And here's the relevant bit:

Haas confirmed to the Daily Mail this week that a small management structure with a limited budget is the target.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Here's a link (the employee numbers are different though: http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns28257.html

And here's the relevant bit:

Thanks but there's nothing specific about the budget just that there is one; more vagueness.

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

It is possible of course that he might have been told that the idea of full customer cars on their way into F1 and to sit tight, run the media around, and not to worry ??

Customer cars might not be very far away as there was to be a new rule discussed today (18 June) at the F1 Commision meeting.
This new rule would allow teams to buy in the safety cell which consists of the bit the driver sits in and the fuel tank. I think that is customer cars in all but name bye bye F1 as we have known it for the last 30+ years.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

Customer cars might not be very far away as there was to be a new rule discussed today (18 June) at the F1 Commision meeting.
This new rule would allow teams to buy in the safety cell which consists of the bit the driver sits in and the fuel tank. I think that is customer cars in all but name bye bye F1 as we have known it for the last 30+ years.

Correct me if I am wrong here, but customer cars have been always been part of F1 as far back as I can remember, so this idea is nothing new and if it produces good racing and the possibility for smaller teams to actually compete instead of always running at the back of the pack..

The big teams won't want this of course but that is just too bad isn't it..

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by davyboy

Or rather the motor sport press ought to find something more interesting/newsworthy to report.

Very true...

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Very true...

Totally off topic but nice avatar.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Mr Haas needs to stop talking to the press, it starting to sound rather like US Grand Prix..

...became..





Maybe the Haas CNC machines can mill a gold bar at a time into a sewing needle. A bit wasteful, but not dissimilar to the task ahead...

[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Correct me if I am wrong here, but customer cars have been always been part of F1 as far back as I can remember, so this idea is nothing new and if it produces good racing and the possibility for smaller teams to actually compete instead of always running at the back of the pack..

The big teams won't want this of course but that is just too bad isn't it..

The big teams DO want this. It's Williams and Force India that are constantly against it.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

The big teams DO want this. It's Williams and Force India that are constantly against it.

yes. sadly i would probably put Mclaren in as one of the teams that could benefit from it as well.

its not that im against customer cars mind you, although i do hate the explanation 'we did that in the past'. the amount of horrible things that line of reasoning has been used for should make everyone automatically think twice before using it imo.

anyways my real concern is that we already have a situation where the big teams make disproportionally more in prize money and have access to far bigger budgets.

if that wasnt enough of an advantage there is a proposal which will allow them to increase their revenue stream while directly reducing the money the small teams have.

of course it will be cheaper for the small teams but once you factor in that that money will go to the big teams then you are compounding the problem. better that the small teams spend a bit more to build for themselves then to turn that money over to lets say Ferrari so that Ferrari now have more money with which to spend on their own competitiveness. this will actually increase the divide between rich and poor teams in both finances and speed.

and that says nothing about the big teams making money of the very people they compete against....that to me doesnt sound like a sound business model and almost anti fair sport ethos imo.

of course engines could be used as a parallel and i also have a problem with customer engine deals but as there are less engine manus than chassis builders its a necessary evil we unfortunate have to live with.

sorry for that bit of a rant.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

The big teams DO want this. It's Williams and Force India that are constantly against it.

Many are against it for fine reasons. They're constructors and that takes alot of effort and they don't want to be trounced by some chancer that's just pulled a car off the shelf, from Red Bull, say.

If they go down this customer route, they need to incentivise being a constructor and the easiest way of doing this is to debar non-constructors from the constructors championship and ensure that being a constructor is a lucrative activity.

[davyboy]

There's no reason to artificially incentivize car construction. Bring in customer cars and change the constructors championship into a teams championship. Construction of cars should be left to those with the means to afford it. Maybe that way we'll have fewer bankruptcies, a more level playing field and some interesting new entrants.

... while we're waiting for that to happen, Williams and Force India can continue rearranging the deck chairs on their titanic.