Haas F1 Team starts 2021 with a clean slate

Photo: Haas F1 Team

The only US-based Formula 1 team has pledged to continue its efforts in the series for at least another five years. The company has competed in the sport since it was founded in 2016 and has very little to show for that billion dollars plus investment. No podium places and only 42 points from 188 starts. At each race, the team had Romain Grosjean in one of their cars, and for the past four seasons the other car has been occupied by Kevin Magnussen. At the end of this season, both drivers will be sacked and the team will start over with two young talented drivers.

For years I’ve complained to Haas that despite the poor cumulative results, the team never seems interested in trying something new. That seems to be changing for the better in 2021 as the team is looking for newcomers to join the F1 machine. I really hope this team finds its way, and hiring new talent for a 2021 season that will be absolutely irrelevant until the regulations change for 2022 is a step in the right direction. I applaud the team for this drastic step.

A few months ago I said if Haas was going to improve it you’d have to build a better chassis, hire a few better drivers, and probably ditch the boat anchor of an engine that Ferrari supplies them. It did one of those things and is probably working on a better 2022 chassis. I suspect the Ferrari engines are going nowhere and their driver choice is one reason for that.

Haas most likely wants access to the Ferrari Young Driver Academy drivers, which means an even longer commitment to Scuderia engines. The team can hope that with Honda’s exit, Ferrari will get provisions from the sanctions agency to help mend its lumps soon. And with the potential access to picking one from Callum Illot, Mick Schumacher, or Robert Schwartzman, there’s likely incentive enough to stay. And with rumors say Williams is going to drop George Russell in favor of recently left Sergio Perez‘Haas probably needs a spot to try and court young Russell. However, the super replacement 2020 Nico Hülkenberg is also without a seat in 2021 and could easily occupy a Haas slot.

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Illot / Russell Haas. Yeah, that sounds good to me.

This sport is so ridiculous and weird, and while I see a possible Formula 1 collapse on the horizon, I hope it doesn’t go away. And as an American, I would even like Haas to stay in the sport for decades. We hope Gene Haas will find some good drivers, build a decent chassis, get some sponsors together, and get Ferrari’s engine division to pull the collective head out of the collective ass. We hope the budget caps for 2021 will help Haas catch up with the front runners.