Former Formula 1 driver Ralph Schumacher has highlighted Haas’s fundamental future direction amid the influx of new manufacturers at the championships in the next regulatory cycle.
The American team entered Formula 1 in 2016 with a unique partnership with Ferrari and Darara, and was praised for helping to stabilize the grid when financial difficulties folded several newcomers.
Now, in the 10th season, Haas has established himself as a reliable, financially sound team that can achieve his goals without relying on paid drivers to support his budget.
Previously there were question marks surrounding owner Jean Haas’ commitment to F1, but the impact of the budget cap seemed to change his stance. Recently, the team’s principal, Ayao Komatsu, has said he has no intention of selling the team despite “multiple offers” in the past 18 months.
However, the team has no ambition to compete in front of the F1 puck, and therefore it is expected to remain midfield for years to come. For Gene Haas, running the Grand Prix team is about fulfilling their passion for motorsports and promoting the CNC machine business, rather than chasing full success.
Haas as a Cadillac junior F1 team?
Racing in an era of frequent ownership changes, Schumacher believes Haas would be better off becoming a junior team for manufacturers like Cadillac in the future.
Asked if Gene Haas had to sell his team to succeed, Germany told Build:
“The Cadillac will probably be an idea when they enter Formula 1 next year. Recently, they have had the problem of little dare to bring in young drivers. The idea of junior teams could be the solution.”
General Motors will make an epic entry in Formula 1 under the Cadillac brand next year, first racing with customer Ferrari engines before building their own power units by 2029.
This will make Cadillac the first whole new team on the grid since Haas itself. Audi will enter F1 by taking existing Sauber operations, another new manufacturer of the 2026 grid.
The arrival of Cadillac is a more complicated effort than Haas, as the average Grand Prix team has grown significantly over the past decade.
And despite repeated public mentions of names like Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, they have yet to reveal the 2026 driver lineup.
“Drivers are the least problematic,” Schumacher said of the Cadillac. “They only have 400 people. They have to build an entire team. They are very ambitious. I look forward to it, but it will be a sporting challenge.
“Do they rise from the ashes like Phoenixes? Or will they remain grounded?”