Arning (l) is visiting Australia for the third consecutive year for the F1 season opening raceHAAS F1 TEAM
Haas F1 Team Head of Communication MIKE ARNING this weekend is set to take in the season opener in the land down under, with the Rolex Australian Grand Prix getting under way at 1:00am ET on Sunday. Fresh off the NASCAR Xfinity race in Fontana, Calif. last weekend, the veteran racing exec then promptly made the trek to the outback. Arning: "Sixteen hours and change -- and that’s just from LAX to Melbourne. You get some work done, get some sleep, maybe catch up on a movie the wife wouldn’t watch with you. I looked at the ones that had explosions. Next thing I know I’m there." Arning spoke to THE DAILY about balancing his F1 duties with leading communications for Stewart-Haas Racing, his expectation for Haas F1 in Year 3 and how he decompresses away from the track.
FORMULA FOR SUCCESS: Each day Friday-Sunday we’re going to have 14 guests here. Haas wants to expand their presence globally, and the best way to do that is to utilize the F1 team. It’s about experiences and giving the guests a true behind-the-scenes look. We’ll take care of them all weekend long. We embrace the experience here at the racetrack and make sure the guests really feel as much a part of the team as they can. They have free meals, they can wear a headset, they’ll see what goes on in the garage. It’s really about maximizing their three days here at the track.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM: As someone who has spent the majority of his career in NASCAR, I’m used to events like the Daytona 500. This is a little more understated for F1, but at the same time everyone has the same amount of points coming into this race, so there is a fair amount of curiosity and expectations heading into the weekend. I’ve been with the team since its inception, and this will be my third straight time here visiting Australia for the season opener. The team has matured quickly. We can contend, but I can remember when we came here in our first year still battling questions of "are they going to show up." It’s a little hard to believe now, but we were still trying to overcome this innuendo of "I’ll believe it when I see it.” Then last year it was more "what can they do in their sophomore year." Now in Year 3 because we’ve proven we can do what we say we’re going to do and also be competitive -- right now we’re finally just another team. Now we’re looking where we can find another angle and truly stand out.
IN THE MEANTIME: I love just being able to be a normal person when I’m not at the track. A week at the beach, or even just being able to go to a basketball game, take the kids to a car show or build a LEGO set. I love doing that kind of stuff. It's just gold because when you work in NASCAR and F1, so many of your weekends are taken up at the racetrack. When you can find a weekend where you figure out what your neighbors do on a Saturday, that’s awesome.
