It’s been nearly half a century since we last saw Maserati represented on the F1 grid, but the Italian brand could be preparing a return. According to Auto Express, the automaker could follow a similar path to its sister brand Alfa Romeo, partnering with the Haas team on a rebranded engine deal.
Alfa Romeo recently announced just such an arrangement with the Sauber team, using Ferrari engines re-badged as Alfa Romeo. Both Maserati and Alfa Romeo fall under the umbrella of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, from which Ferrari only recently separated. All three, however, remain under the direction of Sergio Marchionne.
While Marchionne remains adamant that Ferrari could withdraw from the series if it doesn’t agree with the next round of engine regulations, bringing both Sauber and Haas under even closer influence could give the high-powered exec a larger voting block.
The deal would reportedly see Maserati paying Haas some €20 million per season for title sponsorship, most (if not all) of which would go right back to Ferrari, effectively making its engines free in return for the branding (and allegiance).
Maserati’s F1 history stretches back to the 1950. Juan Manual Fangio won two of his world championships in the legendary 250F, which was also driven by the likes of Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Phil Hill Mike Hawthorn, Carroll Shelby, Masten Gregory and Roy Salvadori. The automaker shut down its works team after 1957, remaining represented by private teams through 1960 and continuing to supply engines through 1969.
This wouldn’t be the first time we’d see Maserati competing under Ferrari power. The Enzo-based MC12 dominated the FIA GT1 class in the previous decade with Ferrari’s blessing, though then-chairman Luca di Montezemolo is said to have blocked other efforts to put the Trident brand back on the racing circuit.
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