The team’s new sponsor has come just at a time when Haas is expected to confirm who will partner Kevin Magnussen next year, but Moneygram is not associated with either candidate.
Nico Hulkenberg and Antonio Giovinazzi are still the favorites to occupy a seat, but the possibility of Mick Schumacher staying is not ruled out, an equation that the director of the American team, Gunther Steiner , will have to solve.
Moneygram’s top executives want to distance themselves from possible rumors and said they were more than happy to leave the choice in the hands of Steiner.
“From our standpoint, we have complete trust in Gunther,” said Moneygram’s chief marketing officer, Greg Hall . “That is not a decision that affects us. It is a decision of the racing team, and we have full confidence in them, so in short, we are excited regardless of the decision they make.”
Referring to the chances of Mick Schumacher staying and Haas repeating the lineup in 2023, Moneygram chairman and CEO Alex Holmes again stressed that the company had no preference.
“We want to be helpful, we want to be involved, we want proper brand representation, we want to have proper association globally,” Holmes said.
“Obviously the drivers play a key role in that. It was great to be able to talk to Mick a little bit this morning, he’s a great young driver.”
“But we will follow in Gunther’s footsteps in that regard. And whoever drives the team car, we will give them all the support in the world.”
Haas introduced MoneyGram as its new primary sponsor beginning in 2023.
Steiner, for his part, insisted that they have no pressure from the new sponsor to sign an American driver, even on a long-term basis.
“I think as I’ve always said, we would love to have an American driver, and I think that time will come,” he said.
“We just need to have the right person at the right time. But that’s not part of this deal. Obviously they will be part of the deal, because whoever it is is going to be driving a Moneygram Haas car next year.”
“But we don’t have any pressure to put an American driver behind the wheel, or as Alex and Greg have been asked before about renewing Mick, that’s all in the works!”
“I think we try to put the best driver in the car, the one who makes the team go well,” current Haas Formula 1 director Gunther Steiner concluded.
