Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed introductory talks have taken place with Alfa Romeo but there is no deal on the table as yet.
Recent speculation emerged over the course of the Monaco Grand Prix that Haas was set to join forces with Alfa Romeo for next season once the Italian car company’s deal with Sauber expires at the end of this year.
The move makes sense as both Sauber and Haas are powered by Ferrari, whose chairman John Elkann oversees the Stellantis Group which owns Alfa Romeo.
In Monaco, Steiner met with Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato. The Haas team boss insists he has “nothing to hide”, that they “just said hello and that was it”.
Tempering suggestions of a tie-up with Alfa Romeo, Steiner said: “A lot of people are saying that to me. The only ones who haven’t told me that yet are Alfa Romeo.
“Obviously, they are looking into what they are doing in the future, and I think they came to see us, to see how we are doing. An introduction, nothing else.
“I’d never met the CEO before in my life, and we just got introduced, I think it was on Sunday – I don’t even remember the day – in Monte Carlo.
“And I don’t know what they are doing in the future.”
Steiner insists there were no discussions about “any sponsorship with Alfa Romeo yet, so I don’t have a solution”.
Asked by Speedcafe whether there was a possibility of a deal happening, he replied: “There is a possibility of a lot of things.
“I cannot rule it out but I cannot say this is happening because it’s not my decision. I don’t know what they want to do.
“I think they are looking at what they want to do. That’s my feeling, but they didn’t tell me and I would never ask them.”
There could even be the possibility of Haas following Aston Martin’s lead and running a dual sponsor in its name given its arrangement with MoneyGram.
“MoneyGram is our title sponsor, for now, and for the foreseeable future,” said Steiner. “We have a very good relationship with them, they do a lot of activations, and they’re doing a very good job.
“But we have never spoken about this, so I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for that because we haven’t discussed it with (owner) Gene (Haas). There is nothing on the table so therefore I don’t even think about it.”
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