Haas takes a global view as F1 targets America

london — While Formula One’s new American owners seek to add races and razzmatazz in the United States, the boss of the sport’s only US-owned team is more focused on what the rest of the world can do for him.

Gene Haas, the Californiabased machine tools magnate with a winning record from NASCAR, has a clear agenda as Haas F1 prepare to start a second season at next week’s Australian opener in Melbourne.

“It’s actually very important to have more image in the rest of the world,” he said in a sitdown during recent testing in Barcelona.

“Most of the manufacturing is in the rest of the world ... manufacturing has been on the decline in the United States for 100 years and it’s on the increase in the rest of the world. So we want to be in the rest of the world.”

Liberty Media, who took over as Formula One’s commercial rights holders in January, have targeted new races in North America and a push to build a broader fan base there.

Haas, a co-owner of the Stewart-Haas Racing NASCAR team, can play a part in that as the first U.S.-owned F1 outfit in 30 years.

But promoting Haas Automation, a company with $1 billion in annual sales, remains the focus. And in the owner’s view, Formula One is an advertising vehicle like no other.

“If we got on a podium or something like that, that would probably be worth all the advertising in the world,” he said. —