Bernie Ecclestone would have found ‘elegant solution’ for key deal within Formula 1

Follow us on Google Discover

Bernie Ecclestone is synonymous with Formula 1 and with things at Haas up in the air right now after Guenther Steiner’s departure, the 93-year-old would have been all over the situation at the American team.

Haas owner Gene Haas decided that it was time to let Guenther Steiner leave at the end of his contract, replacing him with Ayao Komatsu.

Speaking on The Race Podcast, journalist Edd Straw believes that Bernie Ecclestone would have intervened with the Oxnard-based team.

It took just 10 days in 2024 for the madness in Formula 1 to begin, with Steiner and Haas parting ways.

The 58-year-old has been the face of the Haas F1 team ever since their introduction to the grid in 2016.

A few up have been intertwined with plenty of difficult moments, with the team finishing bottom of the Constructors’ Championship last year.

Steiner has been replaced by the former Head of Engineering Ayao Komatsu but it’s going to take more than just a change of team principal for Haas to start competing in the midfield.

The facilities at Haas’s base in Banbury are far from cutting-edge compared to some of their rivals.

It suggests a lack of investment and that Gene Haas may potentially be considering selling the team.

Straw has insisted that if Ecclestone were still in charge of Formula 1, he would have found a buyer for Haas.

While Gene Haas has insisted that isn’t something he’s considering right now, it’s hard to see how they have a long-term future in the sport right now.

Ecclestone would have sorted Haas out if he was still in Formula 1

Speaking about the future of the team, Straw said: “The possibility of selling [Haas] and selling to Andretti, which is the obvious one.

“Now people will say well Andretti have got the 11^th entry why would they need to buy? But, it does seem like the most elegant solution for absolutely everybody for that to happen, which is why we have to consider it as a possibility.

“Because they would be a motivated buyer and there are other buyers floating around as well because other buyers have expressed interest in Haas privately.

“That could drive up the value quite nicely. So, it could actually realise serious money just by being one of those 10 F1 teams and this is the time to do it if you’re not going to keep investing.

“I guess there’s always the question of whether Gene Haas is just playing a very clever game and making it [look like] he’s played a long game over the year to make it look like he’s got no interest to sell, which I guess is possible but just everyone on here tells me that’s not the case.

“But, I would be very interested to see what happens if F1 starts trying to leverage things a bit. Bernie Ecclestone would have been in there making it happen.”

The trouble for Andretti is they don’t have the crucial commercial agreement that Haas do.

Ecclestone has brokered many deals in Formula 1 in the past and would have moved quickly if he was worried that Gene Haas wasn’t fully invested in the sport.

The departure of Steiner is going to be huge for the team’s progression and image off the track.

Kevin Magnussen has already sent a message of thanks to his old team boss but now needs to keep his head down to protect his F1 status.