The FIA in negotiation with 3 teams for 2015

Three organizations are reportedly competing to join the Formula 1 grid in 2015 or 2016 following the call for applications launched by the FIA in early December. Motors Inside offers you an introduction to the contenders.

Haas Racing Developments

Founder of the company Haas Automation, manufacturer of CNC machine tools, Gene Haas ventured into the motorsport world in the early 2000s by creating his own NASCAR team, Haas CNC Racing. After initial struggles in the premier division of stock car racing, the partnership at the end of 2008 between Haas and Tony Stewart, then a two-time NASCAR champion in 2002 and 2005, breathed new life into the team, which took its current name: Stewart-Haas Racing. Since the alliance with the owner-driver, the team founded by Gene Haas has achieved success in the NASCAR Sprint Cup 19 times and even led Tony Stewart to a third driver’s title in 2011.

But Gene Haas is reportedly planning to go further and now wants to set up a structure capable of entering Formula 1. Autosport reveals that the businessman is working with Günther Steiner, former technical director of Jaguar and Red Bull. The latter also states: Haas Racing Developments has applied for a license and expressed interest, but for the moment, we have no further comments to make. The FIA is still in the decision-making process and there is still one more step to take before they grant the license.

According to Autosport’s information, several factors need to be considered regarding this bid: firstly, the American facilities of Stewart-Haas Racing in Charlotte have recently been expanded, and Gene Haas even has his own facilities in Brussels, Belgium, which could serve as a European base for a potential Formula 1 team. Additionally, Haas owns an ultra-modern wind tunnel (the Windshear wind tunnel located in Concord, North Carolina), which has been open since 2008 and regularly hosts teams from NASCAR, IndyCar, or… Formula 1. Finally, if the project were to materialize, Dallara could participate in the construction of the first Haas-branded F1 car.

Stefan GP

A regular candidate for Formula 1 for more than fifteen years, Stefan GP’s application is not really a surprise. The first attempts to enter the paddock for Zoran Stefanovic, the Serbian businessman behind this structure, date back to 1996, with the intention of establishing a Yugoslav team, a project that turned out to be stillborn. In 1997, he tried to buy the Lola T97/30 to race them during the 1998 season, but negotiations failed there as well. This crushing failure sidelined Stefanovic until 2009.

At that time, and while the FIA had accepted the application of several teams to join the F1 Circus, doubts emerged regarding the capabilities of US F1 and Campos (which would become HRT) to meet their commitments. Stefan GP took advantage by signing a partnership with the outgoing constructor Toyota, to benefit from the facilities and cars designed by the Japanese firm for 2010, before the announcement of its withdrawal. Putting pressure on the FIA – by announcing, for example, the shipment of equipment by containers to Bahrain, the venue for the first race of the 2010 season – the Serbian team positioned itself as a replacement solution in case of failure of one of the new teams. However, when US F1 withdrew, the FIA did not grant Stefan GP the right to join the grid. Another attempt would be made in 2011, to no avail.

Will the 2015 application be more successful? It is very likely that the sports authorities will be reluctant to grant a place in F1 to a structure led by Zoran Stefanovic, whose attitude has often displeased the FIA. The case will, in any case, be studied and the answer will come in the coming weeks.

The Romanian business project

If the project itself is supported by several Romanian companies, Colin Kolles could take part as a supplier, as he has infrastructure in Germany that could serve as a base for a team.

He had his first F1 experience in the early 2000s with Jordan GP, where he was appointed as the technical director of a team on the decline. The Irish team was bought in 2005 to become Midland F1 in 2006, Spyker in 2007, and finally Force India in 2008. The following year, in 2009, Colin Kolles was recruited by the Campos Grand Prix team, with the aim of entering F1 in 2010 following an FIA tender.

The dream becomes reality as, after being selected, the renowned structure Hispania Racing Team (HRT) makes its entry into the premier discipline with Colin Kolles as director. However, in 2011, Kolles and HRT part ways by mutual agreement following the arrival of new investors and the team’s relocation to Spain.

The bid in which Colin Kolles would have a role to play would bring together several Romanian companies wishing to get involved in the discipline. This group initially seemed intent on sponsoring existing structures, but it might finally embark on the adventure of an F1 team. Few details have emerged, but there is a rumor of Renault’s participation through Dacia, its Romanian low-cost subsidiary, with the possibility of establishing a partnership similar to the one between Infiniti and Red Bull. However, all these details should be taken with caution.

The FIA should make a decision by February 28 at the latest.