Stuart Morrison, Head of Communications at Haas, gained public recognition through Drive to Survive as the press officer for former team boss Günther Steiner. However, the Scotsman is much more than that; he has been part of the American team for nine years and above all, he is a purebred F1 enthusiast. “I catch myself re-watching old races from 2016,” he admits.
Where does your love for Formula 1 come from?
“As a young boy, I was already a fan of various types of motor sports. So, I would always watch the Grand Prix on Sunday afternoons, seeing Nigel Mansell win. That made a big impression on me, and that’s how it grew. Then David Coulthard also came into Formula 1: a Scot, just like me. I started cheering for him. And the funny thing is: nowadays, ‘DC’ and I are friends.”
Can you still enjoy the sport while working in it?
“Yes, because it also helps me. If you like Formula 1, you immerse yourself in it. This way, you understand how things work. So, you always remain a fan, although work takes precedence: you are a professional. But I can certainly enjoy it. For instance, I like to re-watch old races. Then I catch myself suddenly watching races from 2016. I find it fun, because sometimes I don’t even remember where we, for example with Haas, ended up.”
You are a Scot, as you already mentioned. You also lived in Canada for twelve years and now in England. But how American do you actually feel?
“Of course, I’m not a ‘real’ American. But if you’ve lived in North America for so long, it does have an influence. Take the press releases I make: if you read carefully, it’s not the typical ‘British’ English, but there are ‘American’ language elements in it. In addition, I have worked in IndyCar, I have also worked with American drivers, and I have been with an American Formula 1 team for nine years. That certainly leaves its mark.”
Haas F1 is a relatively small, yet popular racing team. What do you notice about this during, for example, the American Grand Prix in Austin?
“The attention is greater, the number of people visibly and audibly cheering for Haas is also greater. So much more comes our way as a team, as people who work there. Not only in terms of media, but also in terms of marketing and partners. This makes the race in Austin different for us than others on the calendar.
We often hear how people choose Haas as their ‘second’ team; they are often fans of big teams like Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes or McLaren. But in the United States, we notice how many people there really see us as their number 1 team. You see people in Haas clothing, people cheering for us; it’s fantastic. That gives a lot of energy.”
You also need that energy in your own work. You’ve been doing it for almost ten years, how do you keep it up?
“Working with so many different people and also in motorsport: that gives me satisfaction. In my work, I deal with drivers, sponsors, colleagues in our team and those of other teams in the paddock. It leads to special relationships, sometimes it also leads to friendships. You know so many people in the paddock, that’s special. My daughter accompanied me to the British Grand Prix in Silverstone last year. We concluded there that I know more people in the paddock than in my own city, haha.”
Finally: Do you ever see yourself working for another team or even outside of Formula 1?
“Never say ‘never’. But at the moment I enjoy what I do, the people I work with and a team like Haas where I can work the way I want. There has been contact with other teams, but I need to feel at home in a role. I have that at Haas. And Formula 1 itself is far from boring. Every year is also different, which keeps it versatile. Although, due to the busy schedule, I now take three or four races off per year.”
