That’s what the BBC asked this weekend. They sought after the Stewart-Haas NASCAR team to pick the brains of Gene Haas and several team members as to why and how the Haas F1 team is going about entering the sport. Haas explained that his team is entering F1 much like how his team got started in NASCAR.

In NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports was the then-new team’s partner. With F1, Haas looked to the various manufacturers and partnered up with Ferrari. Not only did they give the team a lot of technical expertise, but Ferrari test driver Esteban Gutiérrez was recommended for one of Haas’ seats.

Haas admits that his team’s early years in NASCAR were as a backmarker as well, and they don’t expect any differently from Formula One. Still, it’s cool to see an open, honest interview with the man as we head into a season where his team will finally get to compete.

Check out that delicious barbecue, too. If anything, they may have the best catering on the grid.

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