But American outfit confirm they are purchasing a UK base ahead of their entry into F1 for 2016
Monday 17 August 2015 16:39, UK
Haas have denied they are the mysterious prospective buyers of the beleaguered Marussia team which is on the brink of being revived.
Crippled by debt, Marussia folded at the conclusion of last season, missing the final three races. But having been granted entry on to the 2015 grid under the name of Manor F1, an auction to sell off the team’s remaining assets was cancelled after the emergence of a last-minute potential rescue deal.
Haas, scheduled to join the sport for 2016, were the obvious prime suspect to be Marussia’s potential saviours. Not only has Haas followed Marussia in securing a technical alliance with Ferrari, but Gene Haas’s eponymous outfit are understood to be buying Marussia’s former Banbury base.
But while Haas have confirmed they are “process of securing a UK base and expect to have everything in place by early February”, a spokesman for the team was adamant that they are not interested in purchasing the remnants of Marussia – or indeed Caterham, the second of F1’s 11 teams to have folded at the close of 2014.
“Haas F1 Team continues to build itself up for the 2016 season, and while some assets available in the marketplace have been reviewed, Haas F1 Team has no interest in purchasing Marussia or any other team,” a spokesman told Sky Sports News HQ.
Which leaves the identity Marussia’s potential purchasers more intriguing than ever. Although a Honda ‘B’ team has been mooted as one possibility, Ferrari’s established link to Marussia make the Scuderia a likelier suspect if F1’s most famous marque believe they can do with Marussia what Red Bull did with the Minardi outfit which they transformed into the young driver breeding ground now known as Toro Rosso.
The Sky Sports F1 Online team will be providing live commentary of all three winter tests, starting in Jerez on Sunday February 1, with live updates from trackside also on Sky Sports News HQ.
