Owner still supportive amid Haas struggles

Gene Haas – one of many F1 Sugar Daddies

(GMM) Gene Haas "understands" the struggles of his Formula 1 team in 2019, according to team racer Romain Grosjean.

In Austin, the French driver got to test for the Nascar team co-owned by billionaire Haas and Tony Stewart.

But of greater interest to many Formula 1 fans was whether Gene Haas is still fully supportive of his F1 team, which has struggled badly this year with its car and the Pirelli tires.

"Thank God there are only two races left," team boss Gunther Steiner says.

"Next year, we will open a new book in the history of the team. Not a new page, but a new book."

Grosjean thinks the Haas team can rest easy about its future, knowing that its owner Gene Haas fully understands motor racing's ups and downs.

"Having Gene Haas with us – who knows racing, knows how it works – helps us a lot," he said.

"He understands that things cannot always go as you want it too. He has been very helpful in building our team.

"Obviously Nascar and Formula 1 are very different, but he has an overview of both and that helps us a lot," Grosjean added.