Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsHaas F1 Team

Rossi not focused on Haas for 2016

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Alexander Rossi says he is not solely focused on the Haas F1 Team as he seeks a race seat in 2016.

Haas will join the grid as a new team next season, with a European base alongside its main headquarters in North Carolina. The arrival of an American team has led to former Marussia reserve driver Rossi being linked with a race seat, but he says he is exploring more options than just pinning his hopes on a Haas drive.

"My goal has always been to drive in Formula One," Rossi is quoted as saying by ESPN. "It hasn't been a dream to be on a specific team, it's to be on the race grid and to prove myself that I deserve to be in the championship. So obviously any opportunity that comes my way that allows me that opportunity is one that I'll welcome with open arms."

However, Rossi - who currently sits third in the GP2 standings - warns simply getting a race seat is not enough, and says interest in F1 from the US will only increase if it has a successful team or driver to back.

"For American fans to really get behind [Formula One] they need to have a driver, and we are taking a step towards that. We have a team coming on the grid next year in Haas. That will give the American public something to really get behind and believe in, which is a big deal. Americans are very patriotic people and they want to support their own and see their own being successful."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.