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

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by V8 Fireworks

Apart from HAAS having no facilities to design or manufacture a car? (Despite HAAS' prowess in CNC milling machines.)

It's all outsourced and HAAS is just a workshop where they assemble the bits and go racing, which is fine, but obviously a limitation compared to being a constructor.

Customer teams with no fabrication in V8 Supercars have the same problems of being locked into uncompetitiveness (e.g., Team 18), whereas teams that design & fabricate (e.g., Erebus) can design and build their own go-fast bits.

HAAS are similarly racing against Ferrari who now design the car for them (formerly Dallara) so it's unlikely the car will be faster than the actual Ferrari car. Even if in theory, the design contracted by HAAS is done by a self-contained entity in a different office on the Ferrari campus.

Nothing stopping HAAS switching to becoming a full house, independent constructor... it is more convenient for them to be a Ferrari affiliate... and the payback sites as a happy balance of cost and competitiveness.

I cant imagine the paydriver scenario was part of the original vision of HAAS either... yet if it was... they have achieved their aim

How fast can you afford to go?

[broadrun96]

Wonder if Haas got the money for the full season upfront or they are now waiting for cash transfers in suitcases for the team now?

[Skam85]

Mr Andretti's $20mil will come in handy

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Skam85

Mr Andretti's $20mil will come in handy

Doesn't look likely based on Mario's comments this weekend.

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Doesn't look likely based on Mario's comments this weekend.

What this refers to is the $20million Andretti will have to pay Haas -and every other team-if they bring a new team into F1.Although I think 2024 might be a bit late to turn around Haas’s finances.

[porsche962fan]

looks like HAAS can continue with Mazepin

FIA allowes russians but no flag or anthem (not that would be likely with him...)

[chillibowl]

while the Russian athlete ban was an issue, if he cant bring any money will Haas still let him race?

[bella]

who says he can't bring any money? this just seems to be something people are assuming based on it becoming difficult on the banking front.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by porsche962fan

looks like HAAS can continue with Mazepin

FIA allowes russians but no flag or anthem (not that would be likely with him...)

Classic $ driven solution from spineless FIA

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by bella

who says he can't bring any money? this just seems to be something people are assuming based on it becoming difficult on the banking front.

for my part, i was basing it on Uralkali being dropped (or potentially being dropped not sure if an official decision has been made one way or the other) so i if they do, then i
would assume Haas will be looking for another sponsor, money, and/or another driver who could help with both?

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

for my part, i was basing it on Uralkali being dropped (or potentially being dropped not sure if an official decision has been made one way or the other) so i if they do, then i
would assume Haas will be looking for another sponsor, money, and/or another driver who could help with both?

I assume the name and livery removal is a short term optics issue. It may be a long term optics issue depending upon what happens in Ukraine. I expect they are looking for solutions somewhere in the middle. I imagine it will be a generic Haas livery. Or if they want, some type livery that speaks toward "peace" (not sure how to do that). With Nikita in the car of course. Then later Uralkali can show back up. Or maybe they keep the name on the car somewhere, but with new livery that is less overtly "Russian".

I also tend to agree that the FIA allowing drivers to compete, but without flags is a bit tone deaf. Nothing against Nikita Mazepin, but the idea of banning Russian Belarusian drivers is that you are taking action against the country as a whole. In this case, the athletes. You might say that is unfair, but what regular Ukrainian citizens are going through is also not particularly fair either.

Richard

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

I also tend to agree that the FIA allowing drivers to compete, but without flags is a bit tone deaf. Nothing against Nikita Mazepin, but the idea of banning Russian Belarusian drivers is that you are taking action against the country as a whole. In this case, the athletes. You might say that is unfair, but what regular Ukrainian citizens are going through is also not particularly fair either.

Richard

I can understand the feeling, but is this not the textbook definition of racism? Discriminating against someone on the basis of their race?

Difficult conundrum.

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by wnut

I can understand the feeling, but is this not the textbook definition of racism? Discriminating against someone on the basis of their race?

Difficult conundrum.

They are being “discriminated against” on the basis of their nationality not their race.
If BP and Shell are each willing to take a $25billion hit to hurt Russia and preserve some integrity then sport should be willing to do the same.
If Russian and Belarusian athletes want to compete in any sport they should be willing to renounce their nationality as a first marker of their disgust with Putin.
The world tiptoed around invading dictators 90 years ago.It doesn’t want to make the same mistake again this time.

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

for my part, i was basing it on Uralkali being dropped (or potentially being dropped not sure if an official decision has been made one way or the other) so i if they do, then i
would assume Haas will be looking for another sponsor, money, and/or another driver who could help with both?

Doesn’t mean he’s not still paying though does it.

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

Classic $ driven solution from spineless FIA

Quite. Feeble cop out from the tin eared FIA, when other sporting federations are not allowing the 'no flag ' loophole. Out of step with the rest of the world, as usual.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

[steve_r]

Considering the new & strong sanctions against Russian interests being introduced by UK and US and EU governments, I do not understand how Mazepin Snr, with his links to Putin will be able to bypass this and pay a USA based team for sponsership. Surely Mazepin snr and his companies are on the sanctions list?

[bella]

without understanding exactly the type of “fertiliser” his company produces, i suspect they would be counted under “dual purpose”. otherwise no, they’re not specifically targeted, just like the oil companies aren’t to protect ourselves to a small degree.

they would obviously be affected via banking, but if the sponsorship money came from a country outside of financial sanctions and the company itself isn’t affected by actual sanctions…

there are no personal restrictions on maz snr, though i’m not sure of his passport or residential visa situation, same as jnr.

[Derwent]

Originally Posted by wnut

I can understand the feeling, but is this not the textbook definition of racism? Discriminating against someone on the basis of their race?

Difficult conundrum.

You are confusing race and nationality.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

Quite. Feeble cop out from the tin eared FIA, when other sporting federations are not allowing the 'no flag ' loophole. Out of step with the rest of the world, as usual.

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Motorsport and Tennis both tin eared money driven enterprises

[Derwent]

I have a rally driving friend who had a Ukrainian wife who is with her family at the moment hiding in a cellar.
Everyone should be doing anything to spike Putin and his rich allies. The FIA needs to take a tough line that other sports and have no links at all with Russia or Russian money.

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by steve_r

Considering the new & strong sanctions against Russian interests being introduced by UK and US and EU governments, I do not understand how Mazepin Snr, with his links to Putin will be able to bypass this and pay a USA based team for sponsership. Surely Mazepin snr and his companies are on the sanctions list?

Even if not, looking at the strong USA position, I can't imagine a Russian driver in a seat funded by a Putin associate in an American team is going to be a good look for Gene?

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[S griffin]

Hopefully Haas can avoid controversy this way. Just need Mazepin to get some results this year and hopefully the team can distance themselves from Putin. There will definitely be as much effort to avoid bad publicity as possible, without changing drivers

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Hopefully Haas can avoid controversy this way. Just need Mazepin to get some results this year and hopefully the team can distance themselves from Putin. There will definitely be as much effort to avoid bad publicity as possible, without changing drivers

The only good result Mazepin could get this year is his father persuading Putin to stop the madness.
I can’t understand people on here -or anywhere for that matter-thinking that some sort of business as usual scenario can apply to anything or anyone Russian.
BTW Exon Mobil has joined BP and Shell in walking away from Russia.3 companies have collectively swallowed $75billion to remove any association with this international pariah and you think an American race team owner can massage the message to make a Russian driver and Russian money acceptable?

[steve_r]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Hopefully Haas can avoid controversy this way. Just need Mazepin to get some results this year and hopefully the team can distance themselves from Putin. There will definitely be as much effort to avoid bad publicity as possible, without changing drivers

You have mentioned 2 things happening:

1. Haas Keeping Mazepin
and
2. Haas distancing themselves from Putin

By keeping Mazepin, the team will never be able to distance themselves from Putin links. The two things are incompatible I think.

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by Derwent

You are confusing race and nationality.

And also Mazepin’s direct link to the Putin regime. I’ll eat my hat if he is on the grid. The pressure to drop him will (rightly IMO) become too intense as things get more horrific in Ukraine.