Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is excited about the future of the American team, with their new title sponsor MoneyGram allowing the small team to “stay” in the sport for many years to come.
The American side’s deal with American money transfer company MoneyGram is hugely significant to Haas, with the company having partnered with Haas as their title sponsor for 2023.
Gaining a title sponsor for 2023 was hugely significant for the North Carolina-based team, who made it through the 2022 season without a title sponsor.
This was as a result of their partnership with Uralkali having to be quickly terminated before the start of last season, following the ignition of the conflict in Eastern Europe.
READ: Michael Andretti accuses F1 teams of being ‘greedy’, reveals US sponsor worry
Haas’ decision to cut ties with the fertiliser company, who’s majority shareholder was Dmitry Mazepin, father of axed Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, allowed them to re-sign Kevin Magnussen, with Nikita having only been in the team through his father’s significant sponsorship of the team.
With the side having lost their title partner, many questioned the financial stability of the team; however, Steiner has since revealed that losing Uralkali “didn’t have any impact” on the team’s financial operations.
“Not really,” he told Speedcafe.com.
“We couldn’t take any other decision after the invasion of Ukraine. I think looking back, I think we did the right thing. But no, it didn’t have any impact [financially].
“It certainly impacted the beginning [of the season]. There was a lot of work to be done to get back to where we wanted to be. But otherwise, once we got racing in Bahrain, you see how fast life in F1 is.
“There was never looking back, just let’s get the best out of it. We’ve got an opportunity. It was a challenge. But the challenge gave us an opportunity. Let’s focus on that and let’s keep going.”
With a new title partner onboard, 2023 could be an enjoyable year for Haas, who will have more money to play with throughout the upcoming season.
Steiner will be hopeful for a stable relationship with MoneyGram, after their last two title partners, Uralkali and Rich Energy, caused several headaches for the team.
With the addition of MoneyGram, Steiner has hailed his outfit as a “solid team”, with there being “no negatives” about their deal with the American money transfer company.
“First of all, it’s not only the financials but MoneyGram is a very solid, good company which, although it is an American company, does 75% of their business globally,” explained Steiner.
READ: Red Bull sign son of Formula 1 legend
“So the fact they want to be part of it shows how good F1 is and they chose Haas because they think we are on a good path.
“It shows to our employees, to the fans that Haas is here to stay because last year there were hard questions. I think we have now one of the most solid teams in the paddock. There are 10 solid teams on the grid and Haas are one of them.
“It’s also a recognition of what we are doing, the fact they choose to go with us. MoneyGram is a solid company. So I think all in all, there are no negatives to MoneyGram, there’s just positives.”