FIA grants Formula One entry to Haas

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, confirmed on Friday that it has accepted an application from Gene Haas to enter a new team in the F1 world championship.

The American NASCAR team owner’s entry was granted after a lengthy evaluation process and the new squad now hopes to be on the grid for the 2015 season.

“Obviously, we’re extremely pleased to have been granted a Formula One license by the FIA,” commented Haas. “It’s an exciting time for me, Haas Automation and anyone who wanted to see an American team return to Formula One.

“Now, the really hard work begins. It’s a challenge we embrace as we work to put cars on the grid. I want to thank the FIA for this opportunity and the diligence everyone put forth to see our license application come to fruition.”

Stewart-Haas Racing won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2011, whilst Haas Automation, founded in 1983 and based in California, is the largest CNC machine tool builder in the western world.

Haas also founded Windshear, a 180-mph rolling-road wind tunnel in North Carolina, that is the first of its kind in North America. It is only the third rolling-road wind tunnel of its scale in existence and the world’s first commercially available, full-scale, rolling-road wind tunnel.

The FIA said that other applications “of a high standard” had been received to join the F1 grid and that it is in the process of conducting further investigations for another potential new team, Forza Rossa.

Following Friday’s meeting of its World Motor Sport Council in Marrakech, the FIA also announced that a study on the noise produced by 2014’s new turbo V6 engines is underway, with preliminary results expected shortly, and that the relevant stakeholders will be meeting next month to clarify how to achieve a substantial cost reduction for F1 teams.