Team Principal

The first American F1 constructor since the 1980s, Haas competes with a Ferrari power unit and Dallara chassis.

via Wikipedia: Haas F1 Team · see source

Haas Formula LLC, competing as TGR Haas F1 Team, is an American-licensed Formula One (F1) racing team established by NASCAR Cup Series team owner Gene Haas in April 2014. The team made its debut in the 2016 season. The team principal is Ayao Komatsu, who replaced Guenther Steiner, who served in the role from the team's inception until his resignation in January 2024.

Quick Facts

Role

Team Principal; Managing Director

Affiliation

Haas F1 Team

First appears

2016 Season

Previous experience

Sauber Motorsport
Jaguar Racing (Team Principal/Managing Director)
Red Bull Racing (Team Principal/Managing Director)

Lore & Background

Haas is headquartered in Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States, 50 km from Charlotte, alongside sister team and NASCAR entrant Haas Factory Team, although the two teams are separate entities. The team also established a forward base in Banbury, England, to turn cars around between races during the European part of the calendar. The team maintains a design office in Maranello, which is also home to Scuderia Ferrari's headquarters. Haas was the first American constructor to submit an F1 entry after the failed US F1 project, and is the first American constructor to compete since the unrelated Haas Lola outfit raced in the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

Following the collapse of Marussia F1 during the 2014 season and the auctioning of their assets, Haas purchased the team's Banbury headquarters to serve as a forward base for their operations. Prior to the team’s official entry, Guenther Steiner developed a formal business plan during the late-2000s economic recession. According to Steiner, support from established Formula 1 figures, including Niki Lauda and Jean Todt, played a role in securing the necessary approval for the team’s entry.

Unrestricted by testing regulations until the time they actually entered Formula One, Haas shook its new car down in December 2015 ahead of official pre-season testing at Barcelona in early 2016. Haas approached Italian manufacturer Dallara to build their chassis, with a power unit supplied by Ferrari. Haas confirmed its new car had passed the mandatory FIA crash tests in January 2016.

Reader's Guide

The team made its debut in the 2016 season. Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez drove for the team in 2016. In the team's debut at the opening race, Grosjean finished 6th, scoring eight points for the team. This made Haas the first American constructor to win points in its first F1 race.

Another impressive race followed in Bahrain, where Grosjean finished 5th. Grosjean picked up all 29 points en route to 8th in the Constructors' Championship. Kevin Magnussen drove alongside Grosjean in 2017, replacing Gutiérrez. The team finished 8th in the constructors' title for the second consecutive year.

In 2018, Haas unveiled their new car, the VF-18. 2018 was their best season to date, finishing fifth in the Constructors' Championship. The team retained their 2018 driver line up for the third consecutive year in 2019, consisting of Grosjean and Magnussen. The team also took on Rich Energy as a title sponsor for 2019 and competed as Rich Energy Haas F1 Team. Haas finished the 2019 season in 9th place in the Constructor's Championship with 28 points.

Haas once again kept an unchanged lineup of Grosjean and Magnussen for the 2020 season. During the season, Haas scored 3 points, finishing 9th in the Constructor's Championship. Grosjean and Magnussen left Haas at the end of the 2020 Championship. They were replaced by Russian Nikita Mazepin, and 2020 Formula 2 Championship winner Mick Schumacher. The team secured Uralkali as the title sponsor for the team and competed as Uralkali Haas F1 Team.