Charlie Whiting, Formula 1 Race Director and Safety Delegate chats with Oscar Koveleski, the noted U.S. Can-Am road racer and motorsports entrepreneur at the recent Performance Racing Industry trade show held in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Greg Zyla photo)
Romain Grosjean, right, shown with team driver Esteban Gutierrez (left), stunned the F1 racing world by finishing in sixth place from his 20th starting spot at the Australia season opener scoring eight championship points for the brand new U.S. based Haas F1 Team. (Haas/F1 photo).
Headshot of Gene Haas (Haas/F1 photo)
Photo of Haas F1 Team car, called the Haas VF16 for “very first 2016.”
At the 2016 Formula 1 season opener in Australia, the brand new U.S. team of Haas F1 scored eight world championship points in its debut race, a feat only done one time in the past by then giant Formula 1 team Toyota in 2002. Owner Gene Haas is best known in the states as the owner of Haas Automation, a noted CNC high tech machine tool builder that fields cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series as Stewart-Haas Racing for Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. Haas F1 drivers are Romain Grosjean, who finished sixth at the F1 opener, and Esteban Gutierrez, who finished 20th after a crash with Fernando Alonso’s McLaren.
Formula 1 racing, however, is a way different breed of competition than anything we know of in the states. It consists of pitting not only manufacturing technology know-how but also the hundreds of millions in dollars needed to compete with the top teams in the world. These teams include Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Sauber, Williams, McClaren, Force India and Manor. To compete in this series, you don’t just buy cars and hire some drivers. In Formula 1, each of the 11 two car teams must construct their own chassis and compete for the World Constructor Championship, where Haas now sits in fifth place, following the Australian opener.
For a better explanation on what it takes to compete in Formula 1 Racing, we went right to the F1 race director Charlie Whiting, the world renowned FIA and F1 motorsport executive who started as a mechanical engineer in 1972. He then climbed the ladder to achieve World Champion chief mechanic status twice with driver Nelson Piquet in 1981 and 1983. After 11 years at Brabham F1, Whiting moved to the FIA F1 as Technical Delegate in 1988 and in 1997 was appointed FIA Formula 1 Race Director and Safety Delegate, both positions, which he holds to this day.
We asked him to explain the rules and what Gene Haas has undertaken when it comes to racing in Formula 1.
“As per F1 rules and regulations, the two main areas an F1 team cannot acquire are the chassis and the body fundamentals (those parts in contact with the airstream) all of which must be original. A team cannot buy a chassis and bodywork, (they must build it themselves).” As for power, Haas relies on Ferrari power plants as per the F1 engine rules, but the team must abide by the definition of an F1 constructor, which is that you own, design and have ownership of your (distinct) chassis and bodywork, and all the related body work including the nose, wings, side pods and so on. Each and every team competing must design and construct the chassis and body if you want to compete in Formula 1. You then compete for the coveted Constructors Championship.”
Haas F1 Team relies on a Haas designed chassis constructed by Dallara in Europe specifically for Haas F1 Team use only under the watchful eye of Haas chief mechanic Guenther Steiner.
As for travel, things get a bit more complicated. When you race “the world” the logistics and costs operating a worldwide 21-race F1 schedule is unheard of. And just how complex is the transport of a race team that, for example, brings three cars, a bare chassis, backup engines as well as all the other spare parts and electronics all over the world?
“Very complicated,” noted Whiting. “Much of the race car transportation outside Europe is by air freight transport planes, sometimes utilizing eight decks. It’s a massive job that is not easily accomplished especially in back-to-back races. However, and this is something the F1 fan might not know, all of the pit area and support equipment and most of what a fan sees on television pertaining to the pit stall and area setup is not shipped by air freight. It is shipped by sea, and includes the paneling, overheads, computers, and so on. Teams usually have six sets of their garage needs, not one, as all six are set and ready for shipment each January, which is when I begin sea shipping to the upcoming races.”
Whiting explained that one set of the complete pit area would go to Australia and then the others to the next five races. In this manner, all pit stall equipment is already at the location well ahead of time. It is shipped by sea instead of air because it is much more economical to buy six sets of the needed garage area necessities and ship by sea than it is to have one set and ship by air to every race. Each team also has a setup crew that comes in, they leap frog each other getting everything ready, and then they disassemble and get ready to ship to the next destination, which finds the Australia pit equipment shipping to the seventh race of the season.
And finally, was Whiting surprised Gene Haas didn’t name an American driver for one of his two-car F1 team?
“No. I feel if a driver with the experience and talent was available, he would have chosen one from the United States. Haas is a racer and he wants to win. With that said I think he’s chosen two very good drivers. Now he isn’t too likely to finish in a top three or top four position because the other great drivers are already under gigantic driving contracts and probably would never go to a new team anyway. However, Haas has a very good young driver in Romain Grosjean, who I think will be able to surprise a few people in the (Haas) car,” Whiting concluded in this interview held before the season started.
(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader questions or comments on collector cars, auto racing and auto nostalgia at 303 Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa., 18840 or email at greg@gregzyla.com).
