Gene Haas says launching his F1 team will not be a burden
Gene Haas believes Formula 1 will not be "that much of a burden" when his new team is launched alongside his existing NASCAR squad and tools business in 2016
Haas is currently in the throes of putting together his F1 organisation, and the clock is ticking with the first test of 2016 just nine months away.
Come that period Haas will then find himself in control of not only an F1 team, but also his NASCAR outfit, as well as his machine tools business.
Addressing the potential headache, Haas told AUTOSPORT: "In terms of running the NASCAR team there are other people that do that.
"I have a partner, [three-time NASCAR champion] Tony Stewart, and he does very well in helping to run that, with other personnel that do almost all the work.
"My main job is building machine tools, and that's still going to be my main goal next year, and I'm still going to be doing NASCAR, along with F1.
"But I don't think F1 is really going to be that much of a burden. For me, the biggest burden will be all the travel, just trying to get to the races."
Suggested to Haas he would not be sleeping much next year, he replied: "I don't know. I have no idea how I'm going to make all this work."
He then added with a laugh: "It is fun, might as well do it before you're dead!"
Although his debut car is still some way from taking to the track, Haas knows he would not have entered F1 but for the changes to the regulations.
The Haas F1 car will predominantly be a Ferrari underneath the chassis given the partnership between the two organisations.
"It's going to be difficult to compete with the bigger teams," he said.
"But we're using the regulations which now allow you to work with somebody. They are quite clear.
"You can buy the parts from another manufacturer with the exception of the chassis and the bodywork.
"Although we haven't done anything yet, we are trying to prove it is possible. We believe in it otherwise we wouldn't be doing it.
"Personally, though, I would not go back and do it completely from scratch, designing everything yourself.
"It's too big of a job, would cost too much money, and the task is tremendous."
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