Penske not following Haas to F1

Roger Penske, a famous name in US motor racing, has ruled out entering formula one.

Joining the grid this year is Haas, whose founder Gene Haas - also a Nascar team c-owner - admitted recently he had been inspired by the ill-fated US F1 project of a few years ago.

Haas has allied strongly with Ferrari, but a few years ago it was actually Penske who was short-listed by the Maranello marque as an ideal partner for the future.

"It would be nice to see a third Ferrari fielded perhaps by a private American team. I’m thinking of Ganassi or Penske," former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said back in 2010.

However, Penske said during the Nascar media tour activities in Charlotte last week that he is not interested in F1, even though he won a race as a constructor back in 1976.

"Formula one is a special series today and it always has been," he said.

"It’s the Indianapolis of every country. Unfortunately, unless you’re based in Europe and have a commitment in that sport, I don’t think you can compete on a day-to-day basis.

"I think Gene Haas has set up a completely separate team. He’s committed financially to make it happen and I think at this point it’s pretty much passed us.

"At this point I’d say we’re going to focus on the main efforts that we have today and that’s Indycar, Nascar and certainly Xfinity and our Australian (V8 supercar) pursuit," the 78-year-old added.