Steiner: 'Big chance' Haas could have exited F1
Romain Grosjean (FRA) Haas F1 Team VF-20. Turkish Grand Prix, Friday 13th November 2020. Istanbul, Turkey.
All 10 Formula 1 teams have signed up to compete through 2025 but Guenther Steiner says there was "a big chance" that Haas could have left the championship.
Haas joined Formula 1 in 2016 but the Covid-19 pandemic led to financial concerns across the board, with several cost-cutting measures implemented by the championship, including the deferral of new regulations.
Haas holds only ninth in the Constructors' standings in a year in which it has struggled for overall performance from the outset with its VF-20.
The team revealed prior to the delayed season-opener in Austria that it would not develop its current car and it is likely to take on funding from a driver in 2021, with Nikita Mazepin heavily linked to one vacant seat.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix Haas boss Steiner said of 2020 that: "We survived! That's what we have done right. I'll leave it at that one.
"I think there was a big chance that we are not here anymore, and I think everybody pulled together and we are here to stay.
"Which, I think, all in all, maybe we haven't been good at the track this year but we have been good for the future of Haas F1 and for Formula 1.
"I think as much as we think they don't need us, F1 needs people or teams like Haas F1."
Formula 1 is set to complete its 17-round season across the coming weekends and Steiner praises officials for the accomplishment.
"After Australia we were still thinking this thing would be over pretty soon and it wasn't and it kept on dragging on and every day was a new day of bad news," he said.
"We had a very interesting season, on a sporting level, it was good, except we didn't have spectators there and we don't have the income, but at least we kept the sport going.
"I think it was not a bad year, I wouldn't say a good year, but it wasn't a bad year, it could have been a lot worse, I think it was a great job from all the people at FOM to get all these races in and how they got them in."
Tags: BahrainGPF1Haas
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