Haas to bid for failed Marussia's assets
Gene Haas has a close eye on Marussia as the backmarker team's collapse is completed over the next few days.
On Tuesday, the assets of the failed Banbury-based team will begin to be sold at auction, and Haas - whose own team will debut in 2016 - could be a significant bidder.
"We have got the Marussia auction list so I think we will be bidders for some of that stuff," the Nascar team co-owner told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt.
A lot of the teams in the UK build everything themselves. They seem to have this English mentality that this is the way it has to be done.
Gene Haas
On Marussia's list are items including full cars, steering wheels and bodywork but also factory furniture, computers, spare parts, pit equipment and transporters.
Haas said he is determined that his F1 outfit, to be based alongside the Stewart-Haas NASCAR team in North Carolina, will not make the same mistakes as Marussia and Caterham.
A different business model
His approach will see the cars designed in America, with a satellite headquarters for the race team somewhere in England.
"A lot of the teams in the UK build everything themselves," Haas told the Guardian. "They seem to have this English mentality that this is the way it has to be done and that is just not our business model at all."
As for the intended UK base, he added: "We looked at a place in Abingdon (Oxfordshire) and there are several available in that area. I guess it might be a possibility to take a look at the Marussia HQ too."
Meanwhile, the third car idea remains possible
With Marussia and Caterham already collapsing, further team losses could result in top teams like McLaren and Ferrari having to field third cars to bolster numbers.
It is therefore interesting that those grandee teams have now signed the likes of Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Gutierrez respectively as third drivers for the 2015 season.
"I still feel two teams have great challenges left to get to next year's grid," McLaren supremo Dennis said last week.
"It is my intention to try to assist them because I think third cars are not good for Formula One."
Share Or Save This Story
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
"This is the American dream": Inside Haas’ shock F1 debut 10 years on
Gutierrez joins Glickenhaus for Le Mans as full entry list revealed
Ex-F1 driver Gutierrez joins Inter Europol for 2022 WEC campaign
Lewis Hamilton labels Sepang qualifying as "best lap" of his 2026 F1 season
Lewis Hamilton warned, Ferrari fined for Bahrain GP impeding
The problem with Ferrari’s endless team principal speculation
“Too slow” Marco Bezzecchi baffled by lack of pace in Japanese GP sprint
What's actually going on with George Russell's FIA cooling vest complaints
Andrea Stella explains recurring Lando Norris straightline speed issue after Bahrain GP qualifying
MotoGP Japanese GP: Full starting grid
How drivers waiting in the wings can still make their presence count in F1
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
As Mercedes looks to deal F1 2026 knockout blow, will its driver fight reignite?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments