How American rookie Formula One team Haas has proved doubters wrong ahead of US Grand Prix
Gene Haas admits everybody in the paddock thought they were clueless when they arrived
Gene Haas heard the snickers, shook off the doubters and ignored the suggestion that he didn’t know what he was doing.
Looking up at his name in bold letters above the Haas F1 team tent in the paddock this week at the US Grand Prix, it’s easy to allow him a few moments of self-congratulation heading into his team’s “home” race this weekend.
“Everybody made it sound like we were clueless getting into Formula One, that we’d be bumbling idiots. The Europeans were going to teach us a lesson,” Haas said. “I think when we showed up and were prepared with a competitive car that scored points, it set a very high bar ... People didn’t think we could do it.”
The Formula One season has been dominated by Mercedes and the duel between teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. But the American rookie outfit has been one of the surprise stories from the rest of the grid.
An industrialist with roots in Nascar and North Carolina, Haas jumped into Formula One with a flourish. His team has 28 points in its maiden season, all of them scored by veteran French driver Romain Grosjean. While far from the top, it’s also well above the bottom with a chance to climb over the final four races of the season.
