The 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will mark a special occasion for Haas, as it enters its 150th Formula 1 event.
The US-owned team arrived on the grid in 2016 with Guenther Steiner at the helm, while Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez piloted the cars.
It made an instant impression as Grosjean drove to a sixth-place result at its debut in Australia, before following up with a run to fifth in Bahrain two weeks later.
Since then, it has endured mixed seasons, finishing fifth in the 2018 season before slumping to the back end of the Championship standings in the following years.
Reflecting on Haas’ journey in F1 so far, team boss Steiner said: “What stood out for me is when we got to the race track in Melbourne in 2016 because we had so many people saying we wouldn’t make it.
“We made it, we’re still here and that makes me proud for the whole team. We scored points in our first race which hasn’t happened many times before in Formula 1 history as well.
“For me, it means a lot starting a team, it’s a dream for many to start a team and I could do it thanks to Gene Haas who allowed us to do this.
“We’re in a good position now and we just try to get stronger and stronger, and we will.”
After the first five rounds of the 2023 campaign, Haas has had three point-scoring finishes, the last of which came at the most recent outing in Miami where Kevin Magnussen crossed the line in 10th.
Magnussen is Haas’ most seasoned driver, having been with it for six out of its eight seasons.
“It doesn’t feel like that much [150 races] as it’s all gone by very quickly,” Magnussen said.
“It’s been a fantastic ride so far and we’ve had some super special moments – of course topped by the pole position last year in Brazil, but there’s been many more exciting moments.
“It’s always been an extra successful feeling scoring big points with this team because it’s such a small team in a very big sport, competing against some giant organizations.
“We’ve truly come from being real underdogs to being an established Formula 1 team.
“We’re still one of the smaller ones but the growth and the journey overall has been phenomenal, and I’m very happy to have been a part of it so far and hoping to have many more years.”
Off the back of his solitary point from Miami, Magnussen is hopeful he can score another top 10 finish this weekend at Imola.
“We’re back on European time, so no more jet lag for a little while,” he said.
“Back to more traditional Formula 1 events, some really cool tracks that it’s good to get back to, and apart from that, it’s business as usual. I’m hopeful to continue the strong form and score some points.”
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