Haas F1 concept inspired by Domenicali

While a host of new teams that have come into the sport in recent years have failed, Haas has been more successful and is about to start its sixth season in 2021.

It entered Formula 1 with a completely different business model than other outfits after partnering with Ferrari to buy as much of the Italian outfit as possible.

Steiner pondered the origins of the team in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com and said that his first thoughts on taking part in leading an F1 team came when he was approached by the failed USF1 team in 2009.

“The idea came about in a very strange way,” he said. “At the time, F1 had lost manufacturers like BMW, Toyota and Honda, while among those who wanted to join was USF1, stationed 15 km from my house.”

“I was introduced to boss Ken Anderson because he needed my company to work for him. Bernie Ecclestone called me regularly and asked what was going on because the whole thing was not clear.

“Then one day I got a call from Chad Hurley, the main investor, who asked me what I should do to get into Formula One because I knew this world.

“The only solution [I felt] was to buy the cars Dallara built for Campos, but obviously there wasn’t enough time to take part in the championship. After a few days he told me to contact Mr. Dallara to discuss the matter. “

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While Steiner was looking for ways to help USF1, he met with Domenicali – the Ferrari team boss at the time – to think about the situation.

“I had some free time one afternoon so I went to Stefano Domenicali to ask him what the F1 environment was like in those years and to understand more about it,” he explained.

“Stefano advised me not to continue with Hurley because he understood that it wasn’t a solid project. But the idea of ​​forming an F1 team was already in my head, so I thought about it for a while.

“During those months there was talk of a third F1 team for potential customer teams. After a while I called Domenicali back to propose a project that is structured so that this car is available.

“He said, ‘Find someone who is willing to invest seriously in racing and then we’ll see.’

“So I started reaching out to people in the racing world until I found someone who knew Gene Haas, who was involved in NASCAR at the time.

“We met and started talking about it, first in a distance and then in detail. Negotiations lasted a year and eventually Gene was convinced to join, so he asked me to get him a listing.

“It’s always difficult at first, but when you find someone to fund the project, all you have to do is work on it to make it happen, to do it well and to use the knowledge you have.”

Haas has had close ties with Ferrari since joining F1, and the partnership has been tightened for this season. A hub for the American-owned team is set up in Maranello.