Gene Haas drives his team’s F1 car at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Haas Formula 1 team founder Gene Haas drove a grand prix car in public for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday.

The 72-year-old American entrepreneur took the wheel of the 2023-spec VF-23 for two runs up the famous Goodwood Hill, marking a special celebration of Haas F1 Team’s 10th anniversary.

Due to his age and experience, the American drove the car at reduced speeds up the hill, but that came with its own set of challenges.

It marked only his second time behind the wheel of an F1 car, following a shakedown on Silverstone’s Stowe circuit last month as preparation for the event.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu was instrumental in convincing Haas to take part in the demonstration, and joined him at Goodwood to share in the moment. Komatsu also sampled an F1 car himself, driving last year's VF-24.

“When Ayao first asked me about driving here at Goodwood, it seemed like an awful lot of work just for an excursion up a hill,” said Haas. “I didn’t know about the Festival of Speed beforehand, honestly, but it was intriguing to me—and now I understand why so many fans come here.

“It’s the event to see so many different cars – old and new, not only Formula 1 cars – so it really does offer fans a chance to see cars they’ve only seen on TV or in the movies.

“I’m liking the cars from the ‘40s and ‘50s because it’s amazing that those teams made cars that went 150 mph with the basic tools they had compared to now.

“My first impression of being in a Formula 1 car was that it’s very tight in there. There are a lot of nuances you have to learn – the clutch, the shifting – there are a million things going on. But the hardest thing is trying to drive a very fast car at a very slow speed.”

Haas, who made his first foray into motorsport through NASCAR, launched his eponymous F1 team in 2016 with a distinctive model built around a close technical alliance with Ferrari.

While several other new entrants over the past two decades have quickly come and gone, Haas has remained a consistent presence on the grid, making the most of its streamlined approach.

“We’re still the new guys on the block,” he added. “So I’m really impressed when you look here at the legacy of all the old cars. You see the names, and some of the people aren’t even here anymore.

“That’s very impressive – and hopefully, our name will start to go into history too.”

Haas launched a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme this year, enabling it to participate in events like Goodwood. It followed the team striking a technical partnership with Toyota.

Komatsu revealed that getting Haas into the cockpit of the VF-23 was his idea, calling it a fitting way to mark the team’s decade in F1.

“The fact that we hadn’t been to Goodwood before made it even more special,” said Komatsu. “And for Gene – the founder and sole owner of the team – what a moment to drive his own car.

“He owns everything. He’s not a corporate investor or a private equity guy. He’s the owner, and he’s incredibly passionate.

“Sometimes you don’t see him very often, so I thought it would be good for him to enjoy what he’s created. When I asked him in Miami, ‘Gene, this is your celebration. Will you drive?’ he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’

“I could see he was a bit nervous, but I said to him: it’s time to enjoy what you’ve built, after everything you’ve given over the past ten years.”

Toyota's Kazuki Nakajima also took the VF-23 up the hill at Goodwood on Friday. Haas' race drivers Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon will also take part in the FoS on Saturday and Sunday.