Analysis | Haas has no future in F1 and is better off selling to Andretti

Performance was also very disappointing in 2023, and Guenther Steiner's management style has its share of faults. Yet the Italian can never be completely blamed for the team's current situation. Anyone who looks a little further will see that there is a structural problem: budget. Or rather, the lack thereof. Haas F1 is the smallest team on the F1 grid, where every dollar has to be checked twice.

Haas not attractive to the real top performers

Working with very limited resources at Haas is not an attractive prospect for the real top drivers, both in terms of drivers and certainly engineers and designers. As a result, Haas F1 is, in every sense, mediocrity - at its best. So, under the leadership of Ayao Komatsu, Steiner's successor, a sudden rise of Haas F1 is unlikely, despite all good intentions.

Without a large budget (Haas is ten million euros short of the budget cap every year) and the right people, you are fighting a hopeless battle in Formula 1 beforehand. Haas F1 is in a vicious circle: no performance, no money, not attractive to top employees, and therefore no performance. It should also not be forgotten that Gene Haas adds tens of millions of dollars each year from his own pocket to balance the budget. That is not a healthy basis for a company.

Haas F1 too dependent on Ferrari

Next season, Haas F1 will be very dependent on Ferrari again, with which the team maintains a partnership. As many parts as possible are bought by Haas from Ferrari. A disadvantage of this method is that parts never fit perfectly into Haas-designed cars. Moreover, if Ferrari has a down season - and that happens quite often - then the already lagging Haas F1 is completely unable to progress.

Although Gene Haas has regularly expressed his intention to stay in Formula 1 for the longer term and certainly does not want to sell his team, any real person will realise that this rules out structural progress in advance. Of course, Haas is a racer, but he would be wiser to cut his losses here. At least in sporting terms. If he sells Haas F1, he could easily make a billion dollars. Still, a nice amount.

Andretti and GM are jumping at the chance

What is the ideal party to sell the team to? Andretti combined with General Motors. Michael Andretti and consorts are eager to be admitted to the F1 grid, but the ten current teams are holding off. They fear a loss of revenue if the total spoils have to be shared with 11. Buying into an existing team, which has often been suggested, would end those fears from the teams.

You can never be entirely sure, but on the face of it, the current Haas seems to have a better future with Andretti and GM. The big difference will be that GM, one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world, is involved and has significantly more resources than Gene Haas. Moreover, in that case, the team is no longer dependent on an external party but is truly a factory team. Of course, it remains to be seen to what extent GM and Andretti will be able to adapt to Formula 1, but we know for sure: it will not work out for Haas in the current way.

Keep muddling along or decide rationally? That, at its core, is the decision Gene Haas needs to make in the time ahead.