The motorsport world obtained affirmation on Tuesday that one of many extra profitable groups in NASCAR can be shutting down following the 2024 season. After weeks of hypothesis, Stewart-Haas introduced on Tuesday in an announcement that the crew can be closing operations on the finish of the yr.
What may this imply for the Haas System 1 crew?
First, the information out of NASCAR. In an announcement co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas introduced that on the finish of 2024 the crew, which was shaped again in 2009 and delivered a pair of NASCAR Cup titles — Stewart’s title in 2011 and Kevin Harvick’s in 2014 — can be ceasing operations:
“We’ve got made the troublesome resolution to shut Stewart-Haas Racing on the conclusion of the 2024 season. It’s a resolution that didn’t come simply, nor was it made shortly.
“Racing is a labor-intensive, humbling sport. It requires unwavering dedication and huge assets, with a 365-day mindset to be higher than everybody else. It’s a part of what makes success so rewarding.
“However the dedication wanted to extract most efficiency whereas offering sustainability is extremely demanding, and we’ve reached a degree in our respective private and enterprise lives the place it’s time to cross the torch.
“We’re happy with all of the wins and championships we’ve earned since becoming a member of collectively in 2009, however much more particular is the tradition we constructed and the friendships we solid as we dedicated to a standard trigger — successful races and gathering trophies.
“That’s the similar dedication we made to our personnel, our companions and our followers coming into this yr, and that dedication will stay by the season finale at Phoenix.
“We’ve got super respect and appreciation for all of our staff, and we are going to work diligently to help them throughout this transition to seek out new alternatives past the 2024 race season.”
Stewart-Haas at the moment has 4 drivers within the NASCAR Cup sequence — Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece — in addition to Cole Custer and Riley Herbst in NASCAR’s Xfinity sequence.
With the crew’s relationship with Ford set to finish on the conclusion of the 2024 season, and with out a producer lined up for the 2025 marketing campaign, rumors of this transfer have been lingering within the motorsport world for weeks.
Now the query as a result of what influence, if any, may this have on the Haas F1 crew?
At first blush, maybe no influence in any respect. Gene Haas has been spending extra time with the F1 operation in latest months, and forward of the 2024 season a management change got here. Guenther Steiner, the one Group Principal in Haas F1 historical past, was out, changed by Ayao Komatsu.
That transfer has paid some early dividends, as Haas at the moment sit seventh within the Constructors’ Championship, forward of their last-place end a yr in the past. It additionally displays the motive for the change, in response to Haas himself. “It got here all the way down to efficiency,” Haas informed Lawrence Barretto again in January when the transfer was introduced. “Right here we’re in our eighth yr, over 160 races – we now have by no means had a podium. The final couple of years, we’ve been tenth or ninth.
“I’m not sitting right here saying it’s Guenther’s fault, or something like that, but it surely simply looks as if this was an applicable time to make a change and check out a distinct path, as a result of it doesn’t seem to be persevering with with what we had is de facto going to work.”
Throughout that very same dialog, Haas reiterated his dedication to the F1 operation.
“I didn’t get into F1 to promote [the team],” stated Haas again in January to F1.com. “I did it as a result of I needed to race. Guenther had the identical perspective. We’re not right here to money out, we wish to race and be aggressive. If you happen to have a look at any crew, traditionally, they’ve had quite a lot of good years and quite a lot of unhealthy years.
“Surviving is among the traits of getting higher. So long as you’ll be able to survive, you all the time have one other yr to show your worthiness. This can be a large change. Dropping Guenther goes to trigger the crew to must deal with different elements. We’ll hopefully come out higher for it.”
And this reply to Barretto final January definitely appears to be like fascinating given the Stewart-Haas information: “There’s a notion we spend so much much less cash; we’re normally inside $10m of the price range restrict,” stated Haas. “I simply suppose we don’t do an excellent job of spending that cash. A variety of groups have had earlier investments of their infrastructure, buildings, gear and personnel. Our mannequin was to outsource quite a lot of that. We spend some huge cash. We haven’t exceeded the cap however we’re fairly darn near it. I simply don’t suppose we’re doing an excellent job of spending it in the best approach.
That’s one of many causes we now have survived – as a result of we’re so acutely aware of how we spend cash,” added Haas. “Being environment friendly at what we do goes to ensure we survive on this sequence. We’re one of many longest surviving groups, everybody else [other new teams] have had the tendency to spend all their cash within the first few years after which they exit of enterprise.
“We survived for eight years, and we’re not in a scenario the place we’re going to exit of enterprise. However I definitely need to have the ability to survive for the subsequent 10 years.”
So closing down Stewart-Haas could also be one other environment friendly transfer from the Haas that enables the F1 operation to proceed on, and doubtlessly thrive given their relationship with Ferrari.
Nonetheless, this information comes simply as discussions across the proposed Andretti-Cadillac crew have shifted from that group turning into the eleventh crew on the grid, to that crew doubtlessly shopping for an current crew on the grid. Each Crimson Bull Group Principal Christian Horner, and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem raised that proposition this previous weekend in the course of the Monaco Grand Prix.
“I’ve little doubt FOM and Liberty [Media — F1’s ownership group] would like to see different groups so long as they’re OEMs [Original Equipment/Car Manufacturers],” stated Ben Sulayem in Monaco to Reuters. “I’d advise them [Andretti-Cadillac] to go and purchase one other crew, to not come because the eleventh crew.”
In accordance with the FIA President, it comes all the way down to a matter of high quality, not amount.
“I really feel that some groups have to be refreshed. What is healthier? To have 11 groups as a quantity or 10 and they’re robust? I nonetheless imagine we should always have extra groups however not any groups. The suitable groups,” added Ben Sulayem.
“It’s not concerning the quantity, it’s concerning the high quality.”
Horner mirrored that sentiment forward of the Monaco Grand Prix.
“I feel Andretti is a good racing heritage,” stated Horner to assembled media in Monaco. “Mario is a legend of the game and naturally, [they are partnered with] Cadillac, the large automotive producer from the US.
“I feel System 1 have stated in 2028, in the event that they have been to return with their very own engine, they might clearly overview it however I feel along with that, I feel that if Andretti have been to wish to come, a little bit like Audi acquired Sauber, I feel to guard the present franchises’ stability that we now have within the sport, then, clearly, their finest path to the objective is to amass one of many current groups.”
Maybe the Stewart-Haas information has no influence in any respect on the F1 operation, and perhaps even sees the crew take one other step ahead because of the effectivity argument superior by Haas final January.
Or, maybe it does have an effect, given the newest twist within the ongoing Andretti-Cadillac saga.
