Haas is the youngest team on the grid and the only one built from the start on a radically lean concept: the American outfit was founded in 2016 by Gene Haas, founder of machine tool manufacturer Haas Automation and owner of NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing. Rather than building a full in-house infrastructure, Haas relied from day one on a customer team model, with the chassis coming from Italian manufacturer Dallara while the engine and numerous components are supplied by Ferrari. Once dismissed as a novelty, this approach is now widely regarded as a smart way for smaller teams to stay competitive on a limited budget.
A distinctive feature of the team is its dual home: operational leadership sits in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on the same site as Gene Haas’ successful NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing, while the race cars are built in Maranello, Italy, right next door to technical partner Ferrari. This combination of American entrepreneurial spirit and Italian motorsport craftsmanship makes Haas a genuine bridge between two racing cultures, complemented since 2026 by a growing technical partnership with Japanese manufacturer Toyota Gazoo Racing.
The young team’s sporting journey has come in waves. Romain Grosjean turned heads with two sixth places in the debut season of 2016, and three years later fifth place in the 2018 Constructors’ Championship remains the team’s best result to date. A defining figure of the early years was team principal Guenther Steiner, who led Haas from 2016 to 2023 and became famous far beyond Formula 1 through his outspoken appearances on the Netflix series Drive to Survive.
Since 2024, Japanese engineer Ayao Komatsu, the team’s long-time chief engineer, has led operations as team principal and steered Haas back into the midfield. With Esteban Ocon and Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman, the team fields a settled driver line-up that remains unchanged for 2026. Racing as TGR Haas F1 Team, with Toyota Gazoo Racing as new title partner and a reworked white, red and black livery, the outfit enters Formula 1’s new regulation era with confidence.
Haas in the News