There can be no denying that Gene Haas is a trailblazer in the motorsports world. The 72-year-old American is the only man in history to have simultaneously owned teams in both NASCAR and Formula One, without question the two most popular forms of racing on the planet. And while his stint in the Stateside favorite may well have come to an end last year, the Ohio native remains a prominent figure in single-seater action.
Haas’ Impressive Start in 2025
His Haas F1 team is on somewhat of an upward trajectory in Formula One. After a couple of disastrous years with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin in the cockpit, Haas turned to the experience of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg to steady what seemed like a sinking ship. They certainly did their job, and now the American team has chosen an exciting driver pairing to lead them into the future.
That, of course, comes in the form of Esteban Ocon and rising star Oliver Bearman, two drivers who have made a stellar start to the 2025 season. The pair have combined to deliver two double-point finishes this term, with Ocon’s fifth place in the second race of the season in China a particular highlight. But even still, Haas remains some distance behind the championship leaders.
McLaren is currently the fastest team on the grid by some distance, and their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have won four of the opening five races. As such, it’s the British team that online gambling sites make the favorites to win the constructors’ championship this term. The latest odds from the popular Bovada gambling site make Zak Brown’s team a whopping 1/50 favorite to win the team title this year, while Haas are priced as a 2500/1 afterthought.
Piastri cashes at +300 and hit the griddy for good measure #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/6LkrZpFUoW https://t.co/ZoNOLsmC8Z
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) May 4, 2025
But even though the American outfit probably won’t be picking up any silverware this season, you can take nothing away from their maverick owner.
The Birth of Stewart-Haas Racing
Haas first entered NASCAR in 2002 with his team, Haas CNC Racing, but success was elusive in the team’s early years. Results were middling at best, and it became clear that competing at the highest level required more than just financial resources. Enter Tony Stewart, a former champion and one of the sport’s most dynamic personalities.
In 2009, the two partnered to form Stewart-Haas Racing. And if anyone was thinking that this was simply a rebranding, they would be forced to think again. Stewart brought with him an insider’s edge and proven experience. That, coupled with Haas’ state-of-the-art facilities and hefty checkbook, bore fruit immediately.
Two years into their partnership, the team had gone from an afterthought to a genuine contender. They won the 2011 NASCAR Cup Series championship, with Kevin Harvick winning back-to-back races in the final two showdowns of the season to claim the title. Two more championships followed in 2014 and 2017, with Harvick claiming his second crown in the former of those two triumphs and Martin Truex Jr. in the latter.
Following that thought, the team went on a downward spiral, and by 2024, they found themselves in the NASCAR doldrums. That ultimately prompted the team to close its doors, but amid their greatest years, Haas took on a new challenge in the cutthroat world of Formula One.
Taking on Formula 1
For many, conquering NASCAR would’ve been enough. But for Gene Haas, the world of motorsport presented other dreams to chase. The one dream at the forefront was Formula 1. Undeterred by the single-seater’s high costs and complex regulations, Haas saw an opportunity to create something unique, and he set about the task at hand.
His Haas F1 Team was founded in 2014 and became the sport’s first brand-new team in nearly three decades. Two years later, the Americans were finally on the grid, and they made it with a unique approach. Rather than building every component in-house, Haas leaned on partnerships, most notably with Ferrari, outsourcing elements like power units and transmission systems, a strategic move that allowed the team itself to focus its in-house efforts on chassis development.
This strategy paid off immediately. Haas scored points in their debut race in Australia, and one man in particular was thriving. That of course was Romain Grosjean. He finished fifth in Melbourne on the team’s debut, before backing that up with a sixth-placed finish the following week in Bahrain. Three more points finishes followed for the Frenchman throughout that maiden campaign, and it laid the groundwork for a successful stint in the sport.
Ups and Downs
Over the years, Haas have had their ups and downs. Grosjean was partnered up with Kevin Magnussen for the next three years, with the Dane’s ninth-placed finish in the championship in 2018 certainly the highlight. A bold move in 2020 saw Haas look toward the future, but the pairing of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin the following season ended up being an unmitigated disaster and plummeted the team to dead last in the standings.
Following that, K-Mag returned and was paired up with experienced German Nico Hulkenberg, and the two led Haas back to prominence, securing numerous points finishes. Now, those two have since departed, but once again, they have put a solid foundation in place for the American outfit to move forward.
Now, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman are the men tasked with leading Haas up the table. A maiden podium finish at some point this term would be a dream result, but for now, they are squarely focused on becoming regular points finishers and a solid midfield contender.
