Haas F1 Team will choose its drivers in September
The new Haas F1 Team, which is set to participate in the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship, has announced that it will be able to announce its driver duo by September. Many options are still under consideration, and an American driver will not necessarily be a priority.
Haas F1 Team is gradually building itself up to participate in the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship. With a strong technical partnership with Ferrari, the team seems to have a solid foundation to work from.
In any case, this is what Günther Steiner, the team principal of the American team, stated to our colleagues at Autosport: “I think Ferrari is a perfect partner for us, helping us gain access to Formula 1. We have a very good relationship.”
But this close collaboration does not mean, however, that Haas will be Ferrari’s B team: « The car will not just be a yellow Ferrari because the work on the bodywork and chassis will be different. » he specifies. This freedom will also apply to the choice of drivers: « We are not talking about drivers with Ferrari. There is no plan to become their B team and align with their decision. In no way. »
The choice of drivers should be made by September, allowing time to fully analyze the situation in the transfer market: « Our plan is to conclude negotiations by August or September, and then announce them. The transfer market is clear and many people have contacted us. We are not in a hurry. We need to see who is on the market, who will be the right choice, and who will want to move. Drivers also want to know who we are. But now, they increasingly see that we are doing things right » adds the sports director.
Being an American driver will not be a decisive advantage according to Steiner: « We are looking at American drivers. But being American will not automatically give you the seat. Ideally, finding an experienced American driver would be perfect. But there is no one like that on the market, and what we need is to have someone who guides us as best as possible. That’s really what we’re looking for. »
The team remains ambitious and hopes not to linger at the back of the grid from the start: « The goal is to be respectable. To qualify in the second half of the grid, around 12th or 14th place, something like that, and knock on the door of the points very quickly. After that, who knows? We want to score as many points as possible next year. » concluded Steiner.
