HaasF1 Team

Haas F1 Team is the only American constructor on the modern Formula 1 grid, founded by Gene Haas (owner of NASCAR's Stewart-Haas Racing and Haas Automation, the largest US machine tool maker) and joining the grid in 2016. The team's structure was novel: design partnership with Dallara (Italian chassis specialist), Ferrari power units and gearbox, and a small operating staff working from a Kannapolis, North Carolina headquarters with a UK satellite. Haas has produced one strong season (fifth in 2018 Constructors'), several disappointments (last in 2021), and a steady developmental role. Romain Grosjean's miraculous survival of the catastrophic Bahrain 2020 crash is the team's most-remembered moment. The team continues into 2026 with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman.

Origins

Gene Haas founded Haas F1 Team in 2014, intending to enter F1 in 2015 (later delayed to 2016). The structural innovation was significant: Haas would not build a chassis from scratch like other constructors. Instead, Haas partnered with Dallara to construct the chassis (Dallara's Parma factory designed and built the cars under Haas's specifications), used Ferrari power units and rear suspensions/gearboxes (a "Listed Parts" arrangement permitted by the 2014 regulations), and operated from a small base that combined Kannapolis (North Carolina) and Banbury (UK). Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez were the inaugural drivers in the Haas VF-16. The team's fourth-place finish at Bahrain 2016 (Grosjean) was extraordinary for a debut team — only Mercedes 2010 and Brawn 2009 had a better debut.

Golden Era

Haas's competitive peak was 2018. The team finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship with Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, the team's strongest season ever. The VF-18 was regularly the fastest non-Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull car. The team scored 93 points and was best-of-the-rest behind the manufacturer-backed teams. The 2017 season had been a similar story (eighth in Constructors'). The 2019 season was a regression — Magnussen and Grosjean clashed multiple times, and the chassis was less competitive against the new aerodynamic regulations. The team has since cycled through various competitive levels but has not matched the 2018 peak. The 2024 season was midfield with Hülkenberg and Magnussen; 2025 saw Bearman and Ocon arrive with mixed results.

Legendary Cars

The Haas VF-16 (2016) was the F1 debut car — Ferrari-engined, Dallara-built, immediately competitive. The Haas VF-17 (2017) was the team's first second-year car, scoring 47 points. The Haas VF-18 (2018) was the team's most competitive ever — fifth in Constructors'. The Haas VF-19 (2019) was a regression. The Haas VF-20 (2020) was the famous Russian-livery year (controversial Uralkali sponsorship from Mazepin family — terminated in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with driver Nikita Mazepin also dismissed). The VF-23 (2023) was a chassis with significant aero issues that the team struggled to develop. The 2025 VF-25 returned to competitiveness under technical leadership changes. The 2026 challenger will continue the Ferrari power unit partnership.

Lows & Reinventions

Haas's lows have been chronic since 2019. The 2020 season produced just three points — last in the Constructors' Championship. The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix saw Romain Grosjean's catastrophic crash on lap 1, when his car split in half and burst into flames against the barrier. Grosjean miraculously escaped with burns to his hands but no other major injuries — a survival that demonstrated the safety improvements of the halo cockpit-protection device introduced in 2018. The 2021 season was a transition year with two rookies (Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin); the team scored zero points. The Mazepin/Uralkali sponsorship was terminated in March 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mazepin was replaced mid-season by Kevin Magnussen (returning from a one-year sabbatical). The team's competitiveness recovered partially in 2022-2023.

Modern Era

Haas enters 2026 with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman as drivers, Ferrari power units continuing, and stable technical leadership under team principal Ayao Komatsu (promoted from technical director role in 2024 after Guenther Steiner's departure). Steiner — the charismatic Italian-American principal famous for his Drive to Survive appearances — was let go after the 2023 season in a contentious split with Gene Haas. The Steiner departure was an institutional moment: Steiner had been the team's public face for eight years. Komatsu's quiet leadership style is a different culture. The team's continued reliance on Ferrari power units and Dallara chassis construction makes it structurally different from any other F1 entrant — more of a "constructor-light" model than a full-stack team. Whether this model can produce championship contention in the 2026 regulation reset is uncertain. Haas's commercial value is limited by its lack of US market reach beyond NASCAR audiences — Liberty Media's American expansion has not yet translated into Haas-specific commercial growth.