The controversy against Haas' “white Ferraris” in Formula 1 grows: “These things must be banned”

In Formula 1 there are millions in contention and the World Constructors' Championship has a relentless fight for the winnings that the teams have at the end of the season. Behind the teams fighting for triumphs and championships are those who struggle to finish as far as possible and complete a top ten, which are the positions that award points, equals a lot of money for next year. Sometimes, a team that is not at the forefront improves its performance can generate more suspicion when it is linked to the most powerful.

In 2020, the controversy was over the “Mercedes Rosas”, which were the Racing Point (RP) whose resemblance to German cars drew attention in the preseason tests in Barcelona, where they achieved good times. The same thing at the start of that season that was in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It should be recalled that the English team, now under the name of Aston Martin, was already using German engines. After a complaint by Ferrari, Renault, McLaren and Williams, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) conducted an investigation in which it found that RP's brake lines were the same as those used by Mercedes in 2019, they received a penalty with a 15-point release and a fine of 400,000 euros.

This season the controversy is with Haas, who after being the worst squad of 2020, appeared third after the first date, fifth after the second and now ranked seventh. The start he had was a slap in the face for the rest as Kevin Magnussen was fifth in the start in Bahrain (10 units) and was ninth on the last date held in Australia (2).

The quality leap that the American team made attracted attention because, in addition, this year it worsened its delicate financial situation as it lost the budget of Dmitriy Mazepin, who put one of its fertilizer companies as the main sponsor of the team so that his son Nikita would enjoy racing in the Maxima. Both had to leave in the face of pressure due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the impossibility of Russian pilots being able to race under their flag in FIA-controlled events.

With little money, but linked to Ferrari by the provision of engines, the theme generated the alert in the rest, more so in a season in which Maranello's house has the best drivers of the category and this is demonstrated by the level of Charles Leclerc, who won two races and leads the championship. Although the link between the Haas and the Scuderia, goes beyond...

The North American team is headquartered in their country, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the mecca of American motorsport, where it also holds the NASCAR Hall of Fame. But Haas is also a European headquarters in Banbury, England and according to Motorsport, there is another subsidiary in Maranello.

Due to the economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, factories were forced to make budget cuts and that led to layoffs, so some former Ferrari mechanics joined Haas in a sector located in the same Scuderia factory in Maranello.

“I want everyone to understand that our position does not depend on the speed of our rivals, whether the Haas are fast or slow,” said Andreas Seidl, McLaren's top manager, after the first three races of the season. The historic English team is fourth in the Constructors' Championship.

“Our principles haven't changed over the years. And we believe that no matter how many teams there are in Formula 1, whether they are 10, 11 or 12, they should all be designers of their own cars. And this means that it is impossible to exchange information between multiple teams,” he added.

“You can use the power units and gearboxes of other equipment, but the infrastructure should not be shared, under any circumstances, because as soon as two teams start working under the same roof, the exchange of information is inevitable,” he said.

“The FIA says that it is difficult to keep an eye on such things. So well, let's just forbid it, since we can't control it. Firstly, the lower team has a great opportunity to achieve more positive results. And secondly, and this is more important to us, the leading team also gains an advantage by working together 'with their friends',” he said.

“Fortunately, right now we are having a dialogue between the teams, the FIA and Formula 1. And I am convinced that in the coming years we will reach an agreement to make the situation better,” concluded the director of McLaren.

It should be remembered that Haas does not manufacture its cars either since they are commissioned by Dallara, another historic Italian team that came to be in F1 and was always a reference in minor categories. For a few years now, Formula 2 (formerly GP2) and Formula 3 have been single-brands of those Italian cars.

The last leaked reference of how much F1 teams earn was in January 2021 with a survey of what they charged according to their performance in 2020, information revealed by Auto Motor und Sport. At that time Ferrari won the most despite having its third worst season in 70 years. The Scuderia won USD 163 million (150 million euros), 16 of them for a bonus for historical presence. Behind it was Mercedes, with USD 157 million (145 million euros). Haas finished ninth (out of ten) with $66 million (61 million euros). The earnings are based on the overall result of the team throughout the year.

The controversy just started as there are still 20 dates left in the season, which next weekend will start its European journey with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy. When F1 reaches the Old World, teams usually release improvements, although most evolutions would only arrive in Spain, the. The truth is that there will be more chapters of the controversy over the “white Ferrari”.

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