Hard to see where Dallara have extra capacity when they're about to build the mini Indy cars, and sublet a generous amount or carbon work around here........
Charlotte has 'the best carbon in the world' according to our old buddy Peter W!..... I'd guess if they need ovens, Dallara would be the best bet though? If anyone has the capacity, it seems like it would be them these days. Haas could certainly do the aero work in their tunnel, but fabrication, assembly and running the thing should be out of the UK IMO. Cheers, Ian
Wasn't Dallara involved in the design and build of the first BAR car in 1999? IIRC, that ended disastrously and Dallara got the boot pretty quickly after the car turned out to be leagues behind the standards of the other cars of 1999.
As it turns out they did stuff for HRT and some others too, who also quickly dropped them. If Haas is considering even a semi serious effort then it sounds like he should have his own chassis made, and by people know. Heh, maybe Brawn? There's a laugh right.
There's an interesting thought..... I can see Ross heading up such an effort more than I can see him alongside Ron for example..... Haas is no dummy, and just maybe could cede control and let him do it! In the UK of course. Cheers, Ian
If the rumor I heard is true, you should probably imagine it being bright green. Time isn't the problem there. It's about money. However, it may have already been posted, but Haas has facilities ion Belgium that could possibly be considered for a Euro base.
OMFG - please do not say GoDaddy....because that may mean Danica has the ride. While it could be marketing genius for the press it attracts, that is likely to have the competitiveness level of Michael Andretti. I know it's a business, I love it for (what's left of) the sport and the technology, this just makes it (more of) a circus, hence my agita. The pay driver thing is already accelerating that process As for the rest of the thread, I'd love to see US technical wits applied to F1, but as a devoted sports car/road race fan, the US market seems to like spec orientations - eg. NASCAR, Indy, even IMSA now - it's about homogeneity.
As long as Pinzor Wiener is not involved, I'm fine. The article mentions that they are now applying for a team license since "a slot has opened". Huh? Hasn't that slot been available now for a while? Ever since we went down from 12 teams by the departure of HRT. PS: They want to call it "Haas Racing Developments". That's HRD for short. Hmm, sounds a lot like HRT
Here's a thought. What if GoDaddy went into F1 and just toyed with the crowd, putting Danica in the car for some tests, exhibitions, etc. Even if they never actually put her in the car for a single race, the mere mention of Danica+F1 would generate enormous international exposure for the GoDaddy brand.
There was a slot, but only very recently has the FIA reopened it for applicants with an application deadline in February iirc. I heard the 'green car' rumor at about the same time. Some, including me, thought back in December (November?) that the short runway for application indicates that the FIA already has a strong applicant interested. Haas' entry into the fray does nothing to dissuade me of that notion.
Jan. 15 was an official deadline for new team applications apparently. It was news to me when I read about it in Motorsport.
Oh, I completely agree with you. My mother in law would notice. Marketing bonanza. It would just be sort of just that - a marketing stunt at a new level in motorsport. I may have to accept it, but I won't like it.
IIRC when the FIA opened up the application process a month or so ago they said it was for one new team. That's what I mean by 1 slot. Only 1 was open for application. ETA: Here it is. They opened the process for 1 new team around Dec12 with a deadline of Jan3 for officially registering interest. That short time frame screamed that they already had an applicant or applicants, and that they probably even knew who they wanted. FIA seeking 12th Formula 1 team for 2015 season - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com
The Motorsport piece mentions multiple applicants and implies multiple slots. Letters of interest were to be submitted by Jan 3. Formal applications by Feb 10. A descision is expected shortly thereafter. This all has to do with the 2015 spending cap.
Interesting insights/data here from Joe. I could see this being very unique. A major NASCAR owner also running an F1 team. Could be an interesting synergy and avenue for a good US driver and major US market exposure. Worth a read.... Gene Haas and Formula 1 | joeblogsf1 January 20, 2014 by Joe Saward Gene Haas is known as a NASCAR team boss, but that is only part of the story and one needs to look at his history to understand why he is now looking to running a team in Formula 1. The primary motivation is not necessarily sporting. Haas is not exactly struggling when it comes to money. The 61-year-old started a machine shop business in California in 1978 but soon realised that the equipment he was using was not very good and started designing his own CNC machines. Today that business turns over $1 billion a year and is expanding globally, particularly in Asia, where F1 is strong. Haas Automation has, therefore, a good business case for being involved in the sport. This is important in an age when F1 is wildly expensive. Being an F1 team is not enough. When you look closely at the details of the plan that we have now, you might conclude that this has been Haass ambition for a while. He was lurking in the background when the stillborn USF1 team was on the cards. He supplied the team with equipment and knew team boss Ken Anderson well. If you dig around a bit, you discover that the Haas Racing Developments company was not established last week, but rather back in March 2010, just as USF1 was falling to pieces. The conclusion is that Haas was probably considering jumping in and taking over the USF1 operation before it became clear that there was nothing to take over. The company has been dormant these last years, while Haas has enjoyed sporting success in NASCAR, in league with Tony Stewart. They won the Sprint Cup title in 2011 and today run one of the strongest teams in the sport with the 2014 line-up featuring Stewart (back from a broken leg in 2013 and hopefully still competitive), Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick. Some dont think Danica has what it takes, but the other three certainly do and Danica is a money-making machine. People do not criticise Rick Hendrick was keeping Dale Earnhardt Jr because he is popular, why then do they attack Stewart Haas Racing for having Danica onboard? A little digging around also reveals that there is a lot of digging going on at the teams workshops in Concord, North Carolina, a major construction project that will double the size of the factory to 24,000 sq m. If the team is running just four cars in the Sprint Cup then that is one and a half acres of workshop space per car Room for expansion. Haas is also the owner of an F1-scale wind tunnel just around the corner from the workshops (Yes, really!). The Windshear facility opened in 2008 and is a 180-mph 100 perecnt rolling-road wind tunnel, the first of its kind in North America, and only the third rolling road wind tunnel of its scale in existence. Several F1 teams have been over to try it before the cost limitations began. It is a world-class facility. People may ask why someone with all of this would do a deal to have Dallara build him a chassis. The answer is probably very simple. Speed is essential in order to get hold of one of the precious F1 entries and after that has been achieved the team can be rolled out over a period of time, allowing an organisation to come together in a more sensible fashion. It is a lot cheaper than buying an existing franchise that is worth having. The team would obviously still need a European base of some kind, as eight of the 19 races can still be done with transporters, rather than using air freight. Using Gunther Steiner is not a bad idea as he knows not only the composite markets of Charlotte but also has a grasp of what F1 is all about and why it is different to other racing championships. That is important because too many new team owners fail because they do not listen to people who know what they are talking about, or listen to the wrong people. It would be great to see a proper American F1 team in operation and if anyone can do it, it is Haas.
Thank you for posting that DF, interesting article. If Haas wants to expand in Asia and build name recognition, especially in Japan and China, then F1 could be a good albeit expensive platform to promote themselves.
Given the amount of time behind the effort according to the article from Saward, there is alot of thought behind this effort it seems. Happy to provide!! Probably the best of the data out there on the Haas F1 effort.
lol...I was wondering when we would get to add danica to the thread. clearly she would be THE ACE pilot to put the new team on the podium she has proven she has the talent and the pace...please ignore the mid pack performances in open wheel (remember they had a whopping 19-21 cars on the grid in those days) and the stellar nascar finishes because f-1 would allow her real talents to shine!!!
so haas has a 5 axis CNC and a wind tunnel...and danica. I can see this is all coming together now! In all seriousness, I promise despite what all my nascar team buddies tell me this time...I will not do anything but remain jaded! Pee Wee let me down the last time and I was served a good helping of crow
agree, there's no effin' way this happens, at least with any measure of continuity (remember the failed Lola Mastercard project?) further it will bankrupt Haas, and/or cost him his NASCAR team. just a silly, silly idea. IF an American wants an F1 team done right, they need to follow Vijay Mallya's lead and buy an existing British team, then re-brand it with a different nationality.
Well I guess we should just give up then. No American founded teams F1 for the rest of eternity. Poor dumb Americans, we're just not capable! . No offense to Joe Saward, but he has no idea what he's talking about here. Though Dale Earnhardt Jr. is undoubtedly popular, Rick Hendrick does not employ him for the sole purpose of generating revenue. Dale Jr. is a 19 time race winner, has posted 204 top 10 finishes, has made the Chase for the Sprint Cup 5 times (finished 5th in the standings last year), has won the Daytona 500, and won the Nationwide Championship. Comparing him to Danica and insinuating that Hendrick employs him for mere marketing purposes is absurd.
