Ferrari Backs Out of IndyCar Series as Binotto Clarifies F1 Team’s Priority

Ferrari were in talks with the IndyCar series owner, Roger Penske, throughout the last season. The Maranello outfit was looking to feature themselves in the famous motorsport series. The IndyCar owner revealed Ferrari was hoping to join the series in 2022.

However, Ferrari’s team principal, Mattia Binotto, has ruled out the possibility of that happening in the near future. He whether the migration of staff to Haas would diminish the chances of Maranello outfit’s move.

“We have been discussing Indy[Car]. We have been in contact with them and we decided certainly in the short term that it will not be the case [joining the series] because it represents an investment and we need to stay focused on F1.

“But discussions are still going on. Maybe more in the medium/long-term, I think why not? But today, still, our main focus and priority is F1,” he said.

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Ferrari and Haas’ staff restructuring

Last year, as a part of the restructuring process, Ferrari announced that their chassis chief, Simone Resta, would join Haas to strengthen ties between the two teams. As Ferrari’s customer team, Haas F1 made Resta the head of performance along with Enrico Cardile.

“You need good people, and Simone was at Ferrari a long time and then had a short stint at Alfa Romeo. He was available, and we took him. We needed to reinforce our technical team after we went a little bit backwards the last year with the pandemic,” said Guenther Steiner.

Haas F1 also signed Mick Schumacher, a Ferrari Academy driver for the 2021 season. Steiner and Binotto have stated earlier that both the teams are working towards helping Mick realize his highest potential.

The German will drive for the American team for a few years to gain some Formula 1 experience before joining Ferrari. The American team also uses Ferrari engines for their team. According to you, how much has this partnership been helpful for Haas F1?