P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Gene Haas’s squad was once a welcome addition to an F1 grid beset by crises. But F1 has changed since – and Haas doesn’t seem to have accepted this
The Formula 2 team boss believed that it was not worth trying to move up to Formula 1 due to the immense investment needed to compete with the existing F1 teams. After the 2008 financial crash, F1 faced a depleted grid, and the three new teams introduced in 2010 (HRT, Virgin/Marussia/Manor, and Lotus/Caterham) turned out to be failures. These new teams were promised a budget-capped F1 that never materialized, leaving them unable to succeed. In the midst of this crisis, the Haas F1 team was established with the goal of investing the minimum amount necessary to be successful and earn prize money. Haas took advantage of the financial troubles of other teams, such as Caterham and Manor, to achieve a strong debut season in 2016. By 2018, Haas reached its peak performance, benefitting from the downfall of Force India and the struggles of McLaren, Sauber, Toro Rosso, and Williams.
