"There’s more interest"- Haas chief eager to use 'American identity' in F1 due to growing presence of sport in the United States
Due to the growing presence of F1 in the United States, Haas chief Guenther Steiner thinks the team should start using more of its American identity.
The 57-year-old explained that there has been increased interest in the sport from the American market due to the growing number of races taking place in the country.
There was only one US race on the calendar when Haas first joined F1 in 2016. However, since there will be three Grands Prix in the country in 2023, Steiner believes it is a good time to adopt a more American focus.
He told Racer.com:
"We need to use that (American identity) more now because there is more presence (in the United States). It’s what we need to do as a team; it’s not a directive. We were never told what we have to be – we are who we are.
"But now I think we can focus on it more because there’s more interest. Before, you could try to create interest, but the response was weak. But now, knowing the response is big, for sure we will focus on that."
⛴️ 
The #SteinerShip fleet so far... 🛥️🚤⛴️
How big will the ships grow to in the second half of the season?
#HaasF1 https://t.co/m1sCgqeLB5
When asked if Haas need to change their approach in F1 now that they have found their footing, Steiner said the team's atypical structure will not change anytime soon:
"At the moment, we couldn’t because we would make too big of a step back to maybe make two forward. So we cannot afford to do that at the moment. For now we keep on going as we are, and then at some stage, maybe there comes a point where you say, 'Maybe we change the strategy how we do this.'
"But we are not there yet. So at the moment we are very focused on getting the very best out of how we are doing things."
He added:
"At the moment, we are not looking at it because we want to finish this (approach). There’s more possibilities to look at that going forward but at the moment we haven’t done it."
Haas looking to get new sponsors on board after Uralkali's exit
Earlier this season, Haas had to let go of their Russian title sponsor Uralkali. Steiner revealed that the loss was a big one for the team, but multiple suitors have approached them since then. He said:
"In the beginning, the good interest was people wanting a cheap ride because they thought we were struggling, and all that stuff. That didn’t work.
"People see what we are doing. We got kicked in our nuts basically, but we are still up and standing and going strong. People believe in that. They know we can do better than we are doing now."
Why did Kev choose to race with No.20? Find out in another Ask Kevin!
#HaasF1 https://t.co/xZLscDTZXb
Steiner disclosed that Haas is currently in talks with sponsors. He is optimistic that the team will make an announcement soon. He said:
“Honestly, I mean, what is a queue? A queue is three people, but you don’t have that many companies that (will) pay you this amount of money, but we have had very good talks, and it’s progressing very well.
"We are negotiating; there is good interest in it. Hopefully, if everything goes well in the next month or two, we can announce something."
Haas has shown tremendous progress this season compared to the last two seasons when it was a perennial backmarker.