Q: So, as a Bostonian, I am obliged to note: If Bill Belichick, perhaps the greatest NFL coach ever, can get fired… etc. (Amusing to note that in the post-firing recriminations, the exchanges have been identical — cheap owner/spendthrift coach-team boss.)
That duly noted, my question is, what does the future hold for Haas F1? My first reaction was that Gene Haas was getting ready to sell the team. And, despite his protestations to the contrary, I still think that’s the most likely outcome. Especially when Haas discovers that ace aerodynamicists are hard to come by. If you think of Haas F1 as a subsidiary of Haas Automation, firing the unit’s chief and rejecting plans for more capital investment sure sounds like the business plan for disposing of the division. (Just hope that he takes Michael Andretti’s call this time.)
But I don’t see infrastructure as Haas’s most urgent problem. Ferrari built them a tech center in Maranello, and there haven’t been any reports that it’s inadequate. Haas now will have more access to the Ferrari wind tunnel than Ferrari does. Seems to me the more urgent needs are purpose and people. Regarding the later, the team is hugely reliant on people on loan from Ferrari and Dallara, with little of its own staff.
As for purpose, right from the start, I have never understood what Haas’s plan for the team has been other than to publicize the Haas Automation brand internationally (which could have been done more cheaply by signing on as prime sponsor for another team). Could have been a Ferrari “B team” but it wasn’t. Could have a genuine “American” team but it isn’t. If there is some niche it’s trying to fill, I don’t see it.
Al in Boston
CM: I’d say you’re right about purpose in terms of publicizing the Haas Automation brand. It’s definitely done that, and F1 is a huge marketing exercise so you could say Gene has been astute in financing an entire team that he owns, and now is worth so much more than when he started out.
But beyond that it’s drifting now, especially if he won’t invest more in infrastructure and trying to keep up with the other nine teams. Ayao Komatsu admitted what Guenther Steiner has also said — the model used to work really well, but you wouldn’t set a team up that way now.
The thing is, with the infrastructure and facilities (with all due respect to those running the factory, Banbury isn’t exactly top of the list of desirable places to work in F1) it is very tough to attract better people than your rivals, so the two go hand in hand. Add in the lack of ambition that there appears to be right now and Haas is not the most attractive place on the grid, so you’re always going to struggle to keep up.
Take Williams, for example, it was adrift at the back and struggling, and still is a long way from being competitive with the top six, but it has attracted quality talent from Mercedes (James Vowles) and Alpine (Pat Fry) among others, because it is showing ambition and a willingness to invest in its future. People want to be part of that journey.
I wish I could answer the “what does the future hold?” question better, but sources tell me Gene has no interest in selling, and no interest in investing more while he waits to see what Komatsu can do in terms of maximizing the team in its current state. It could all be a bargaining chip for a sale, but it’s the messiest one to take over from Andretti’s point of view given the way it wants to run a team, so it would likely only be interested in buying an entry.
For now, I’d just say it feels like more of the same is on the cards for Haas for the foreseeable future.
Q: I have pretty much ignored Formula E because I didn’t love the sound of the motors. But after seeing news that an Andretti driver had won the championship last year, I recorded this past weekend’s Mexico City race to see what it was like.
I didn’t find the racing or CBS’s broadcast nearly as exciting as what IndyCar routinely delivers, but I was surprised at the 100% packed grandstands, all the auto manufacturers represented, and the massive levels of sponsorship visible around the track. I googled the series and found lots of news about international TV deals and an article claiming that the average Formula E salary is around $1.8 million.
Given how many talented IndyCar and F1 drivers left without a ride in recent years, I was surprised to not recognize any names on the driver’s grid. What’s the typical path to driving for Formula E? Is it seen as a step up or step down from F2, Indy NXT or IndyCar?
LA Racing Fan
DOMINIK WILDE: Unfortunately, I’d have to agree. Mexico City wasn’t exactly the most enthralling of races, but don’t let that put you off entirely. It’s not always like that. Give Saudi Arabia this weekend a go — it’s a doubleheader, so two championship rounds across Friday and Saturday, and last year was a fun pair of races. It’s a different kind of racing, though — there’s plenty of overtaking, but with energy management a key factor, you’ll find the races reaching a crescendo rather than being 10-10ths from the second the lights go out.
As for a typical career path, that’s a tough one to answer. The simple answer is: “There isn’t one.”
One thing that’s worth pointing out is that Formula E is one of the few categories where drivers can get paid a healthy salary without having to bring sponsorship. Not even F1 can boast that. That’s one of the reasons why Formula E is so attractive for drivers, regardless of where they were before — and it’s why you’ll find a range of CVs across the grid.
Many of the drivers climbed the open-wheel ladder in Europe and then moved to Formula E instead of Formula 1 but there’s also the likes of Nick Cassidy, who moved over after a stint in Japan racing Super Formula. Of course there’s also the likes of Sebastien Buemi and Lucas Di Grassi who will get the cruel “not good enough for F1” tag having moved over from there. Many also dovetail their Formula E commitments with full-time rides in the World Endurance Championship. But with things like Formula G on the horizon, a more typical electric ladder route could be established in the future.