The first day of F1’s 2025 pre-season didn’t feature many major highlights, but teams completed their laps, gathered data, and gave fans a glimpse of their new colors and liveries on track, building excitement for the upcoming season. One seemingly small but significant change to the pit wall also caught attention.
In 2024, Haas had only three seats on their section of the pit lane, just as they did the previous season.
This was a decision made by former Team Principal Guenther Steiner, who had to make some tough choices while steering the Kannapolis-based outfit through treacherous financial waters. Haas was not performing well on track and didn’t have much money to improve either.
So they had to save wherever they could, and letting go of one seat on the pit wall certainly made a difference.
“It’s mainly a saving to put that money into development because we are at the cost cap or a quarter million [$250,000] on transport costs,” he said in 2023.
While it may seem surprising that removing a single seat could save Haas so much money, this was no ordinary seat. It was part of a technical setup that needed to be transported to over 20 different circuits worldwide, adding to the logistics bill.
Thankfully, Haas finishing P7 in the Constructors’ Championship last year led to an $87 million cash injection—one that allowed the American team to revert to a bigger pit wall, as evidenced by their setup at the Bahrain International Circuit on Wednesday.
[@motorsportcom] Haas made the decision to slim down its pitwall to save $250,000 in transport costs each year, but has now reversed this decision for the 2025 F1 season as its staffing level expands
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Haas has also hired a number of new personnel. With the 2026 regulations reset approaching, Haas has been making strategic moves to develop a competitive package.
A key part of this plan is expanding their workforce, made possible by the team’s recent financial resurgence.
2025 could be historic for Haas
Haas has been a perennial backmarker in F1 since making its debut in 2016. That’s an image that owner Gene Haas has been desperate to change, and replacing Ayao Komatsu with Steiner has seemingly put them on the right track.
Not only is the team showing life on the technical front, but it is also doing well financially. Thanks to its recent partnership with Toyota, the team is in a very healthy state. Komatsu also revealed that the team “has never been close to the maximum budget cap,” — something that is set to change in 2025.
“Yes. Our goal is to be at the budget cap level in 2025. If you really want to be competitive, you have to be close to the budget cap, that’s our goal,” he added.
The rising valuation of F1 teams, driven by the sport’s surge in popularity, has also played a key role in Haas’ financial recovery.
Things are looking promising on track too. After a solid finish in last year’s standings, Haas enters the 2025 season with Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon and highly-rated rookie Ollie Bearman. The belief is that they could be a strong contender in F1’s midfield this season.
