F1: Haas Will Debut in Without an American Driver

The brand is the same, but the sport has changed. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Although the American Formula One Team Haas F1 will be debuting their season in 2016, there has not been any final decision on which two drivers will pilot the team’s cars.

However, one thing is perfectly clear: There will not be an American driver that will be selected for the position.

Gunter Steiner, who is the Team Manager for the American outfit, simply told the British web site formula1.com Wednesday in London, England, that there are no drivers that are experienced enough that represent the stars and stripes to be selected for the team’s debut season.

"There is nobody out there at the moment. Yes, there are drivers in GP2 and Formula Three, but having a rookie in a new team… that is difficult for both sides. The potential of such a partnership failing is pretty high. So at the moment we’d rather not be looking at that avenue, because you are also not helping an inexperienced driver — he could be burned in one season. We are new, so we need a known quantity in the team."

If an American driver could be selected, it would be Californian Alexander Rossi, who at 23 , has already test driven for teams as the now defunct Caterham squad, and the just barely making it team from Manor.

With that decision final, many are still wondering who will fill the void. The latest chance of obtaining this year’s LeMans winner Nico Hulkenberg is gone, as the German already has resigned for Force India. The favorites are from Mexico, with Estaban Gutierrez taking the first pick, but the second might be his current Ferrari test driving partner Jean-Eric Vergne of France.

But the driver from Cergy Pontoise might be losing his possible race seat to his countryman, Romain Grosjean, who currently is driving for Lotus. But Grosjean is waiting to see if the Renault Car company will buy out his cash strapped Lotus team. The French manufacturer is taking their time, something that Grosjean does not have much patience for.

However, if Grosjean decides to take the offer from Haas, Vergne could jump ship from Ferrari to a race seat at Renault if it does approve of the Lotus takeover, something that Grosjean could regret, since he is currently driving for the current Enstone, England squad.

Stiener continued that the goal for the final selection would be to have a driver that has a connection with Ferrari, plus another one with plenty of F1 experience.

"We are very close to some drivers — and at the end of September we will come forward. It is good to get another box ticked. Our pit equipment is rolling in — we have bought everything new or got it custom-made — and the people for the race team are joining. It is growing with every day. In January is the FIA crash test. So yes, a very intense time."

The chassis expects to be manufactured in the next couple of weeks, and the team will continue to use the Ferrari wind tunnel in Marenello, Italy, every few weeks before submitting their final FIA racing entry next month.

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