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Customer Haas keeping sharp eye on Ferrari changes

  • Published on 05 Dec 2014 13:35
  • comments 0
  • By: Rob Veenstra
Gene Haas, F1's newest team owner, has admitted to keeping a sharp eye on the turmoil at Maranello. This year, after securing a place on the 2016 grid, Nascar co-owner Haas agreed a deal with Ferrari to receive customer engines and "all related technical services".

Haas Automation, Haas' leading machine tool company, also became an on-car sponsor of the fabled Italian team. But since the agreements were made, it has been all change at Ferrari as the marque reacted to its poor start to the all-new 'power unit' era.

President Luca di Montezemolo and team boss Marco Mattiacci, for example, have gone, which may be a concern to Haas. "That's a good point," Haas admitted to Sports Business Daily. "I don't know. I think that the higher-ups know what they're doing. I hope we didn't have any influence over them losing their jobs."

The interviewer, Leigh Diffey, admitted that over lunch Haas confessed that "whoever I spoke to (at Ferrari) got fired. I better stop speaking to people." Haas commented: "There's a lot of pressure on Ferrari. Ferrari is obviously a marquee car builder, and formula one is their marquee racing series. And they want to win. There's just a lot of pressure there. I have to respect that."

There is also big pressure on Haas, who are building a modest team from scratch and intending to be the only competitor without its main headquarters in Europe. And Haas' building phase also coincides with a period of great turmoil in formula one, with backmarkers Marussia and Caterham going out of business and other small teams struggling for survival.

"There are a lot of pitfalls in formula one," he admitted. "We've seen a lot of teams have a lot of problems. There are money issues. There's a lot of rancour in the troops out there as far as what we're hearing. I look at it as a challenge. I've been to some formula one races. I've met the people. I like them. They're good people."

But Haas also admitted that the task of building a car, even for 2016, is almost "overwhelming". "If you get it wrong," he said, "it's a disaster." (GMM)
F1 News Ferrari Marussia

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Date
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Circuit
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Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia
Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
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Shanghai International Circuit
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Miami International Autodrome
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Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
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Monte Carlo
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Gilles Villeneuve
21 - Jun 23
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
28 - Jun 30
Austria
Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom
Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary
Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy
Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
Singapore
Marina Bay Street Circuit
18 - Oct 20
United States of America
Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
Mexico
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
1 - Nov 3
Brazil
Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
United States of America
Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1
Qatar
Losail International Circuit
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates
Yas Marina Circuit
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
Japan Circuit Suzuka
19 - Apr 21
China Shanghai International Circuit
3 - May 5
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
Italy Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
24 - May 26
Monaco Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
Canada Gilles Villeneuve
21 - Jun 23
Spain Circuit de Catalunya
28 - Jun 30
Austria Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit
18 - Oct 20
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
Mexico Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
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Brazil Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
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29 - Dec 1
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