Ferrari-supplied Haas Formula 1 team would consider customer cars
The Haas Formula 1 Team says it would be in favour of running a customer car, rather building its own, if it meant the outfit was competitive when it debuts next season
Haas has a technical partnership and engine supply deal with Ferrari for 2016 while Dallara is responsible for its chassis.
The idea of customer or franchise cars, which could be introduced as early as 2017, is something that has been on the agenda in recent weeks with the big teams unwilling to make concessions to assist the small outfits.
Haas will continue with its current plan while the regulations are still up in the air, but team principal Gunther Steiner said the team will remain flexible about its future approach.
"It is about being competitive," he told AUTOSPORT. "How you get there doesn't matter.
"We haven't got the ego that we need to make the car. As long as we are competitive, we are fine.
"At the moment we have a plan in place but if there is a better plan, we have to do what is the best for us to do.
"Formula 1 is a quick-changing business and you need to adapt. Is it nice? No.
"But if that makes more sense, we will go that way. But it isn't said that it makes more sense, so we go our way, continuing our road as collaborating as technical partner with Ferrari.
"It [customer cars] could happen. We are not too worried about that as we have no influence in making changes.
"We just focus on getting ready for next year."
During the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne said he would be happy to supply Red Bull with engines amid its increasingly difficult relationship with Renault.
If Red Bull switched to Ferrari power, and junior team Toro Rosso followed suit, the Scuderia would supply five teams, with Sauber and Manor currently on its books, as well as its works outfit.
Steiner, though, is unconcerned by that prospect.
"It doesn't worry me," he said. "It's up to Ferrari.
"We have our agreement and I trust them in what they promised us they can deliver.
"If they can do it for more people, I have no vote in it.
"As long as they fulfil our agreement, it's fine."
Previous article
Sauber F1 team appoints Mark Smith as new technical director
Next article
Michelin knows it must win Bernie Ecclestone over in F1 return bid
The ‘backwards step’ that is the right move for Formula 1
OPINION: With its days apparently numbered, the MGU-H looks set to be dropped from Formula 1’s future engine rules in order to entice new manufacturers in. While it may appear a change of direction, the benefits for teams and fans could make the decision a worthwhile call
The floundering fortunes of F1’s many Lotus reboots
Team Lotus ceased to exist in 1994 - and yet various parties have been trying to resurrect the hallowed name, in increasingly unrecognisable forms, ever since. DAMIEN SMITH brings GP Racing’s history of the legendary team to an end with a look at those who sought to keep the flame alive in Formula 1
Why the 2021 title fight is far from F1's worst, despite its toxic background
OPINION: Formula 1 reconvenes for the Russian Grand Prix two weeks after the latest blow in ‘Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton’. While the Silverstone and Monza incidents were controversial, they thankfully lacked one element that so far separates the 2021 title fight from the worst examples of ugly championship battles
How F1’s other champion to emerge from 1991 thrived at Lotus
Mika Hakkinen became Michael Schumacher’s biggest rival in Formula 1 in the late-90s and early 2000s, having also made his F1 debut in 1991. But as MARK GALLAGHER recalls, while Schumacher wowed the world with a car that was eminently capable, Hakkinen was fighting to make his mark with a famous team in terminal decline
The forgotten F1 comeback that began Jordan’s odyssey
Before Michael Schumacher – or anyone else – had driven the 191 (or 911 as it was initially called), Eddie Jordan turned to a fellow Irishman to test his new Formula 1 car. JOHN WATSON, a grand prix winner for Penske and McLaren, recalls his role in the birth of a legend…
The squandered potential of a 70s F1 underdog
A podium finisher in its first outing but then never again, the BRM P201 was a classic case of an opportunity squandered by disorganisation and complacency, says STUART CODLING
The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from
OPINION: The headlines were dominated by the Italian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had the halo to thank for avoiding potentially serious injury. But two days earlier, Formula 1 had a lucky escape with a Monza pitlane incident that could also have had grave consequences
How Monza only added more questions to F1's sprint race conundrum
With two sprint races under its belt, Formula 1 must now consider its options for them going forward. While they've helped deliver exciting racing on Sundays, the sprints themselves have been somewhat lacking - creating yet another conundrum for F1 to solve...
