Despite finishing last in 2023, Kevin Magnussen still sees a lot of potential in the Haas team and emphasizes that the problems can only be solved together
Even though Haas had a largely disappointing 2023 Formula 1 season and finished last in the constructors’ championship with just twelve points, Kevin Magnussen does not want to criticize his team in the media
“I don’t think it helps the team if they sell it to you cheaply,” says the Haas driver. “It’s a team sport. We are all involved. We’re all responsible, and I don’t want to look like a sacred cow here. I’m part of the problem, if you like, as is every team member at Haas.”
“We need to stick together and make a comeback like we have done in the past. This team has already shown great potential and it’s time for us to achieve our goals consistently because I believe the talent and potential in this team is very high.”
Unleashing that is also part of his job as a driver, says Magnussen: “So I want to be there to drive it forward and show what we can do. “
Upgrade and split strategy without success
He and team-mate Nico Hülkenberg were occasionally able to shine in qualifying in 2023. However, they lacked consistent race pace, which was mainly due to overheating tires. Magnussen only managed to score points three times and finished 19th in the final standings.
New aerodynamics were introduced for the team’s home Grand Prix in Austin, but this did not improve form. For the last two races in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, the decision was made to split the drivers: Magnussen stayed with the new version and Hülkenberg returned to the original.
When asked about this, Magnussen emphasized: “It was important to gather some track information with this type of car. Although it wasn’t better, I think it was good that we split the two cars for a few races.”
“I would have liked to drive just one race with it and then switch back to the old car,” he admits. “But that wasn’t logistically possible. “
Magnussen had a premonition early on
The Dane says he knew early on that the car would not be good enough for 2023. “Especially because I was in a very similar position with the team in 2019, I probably heard the alarm bells ringing a bit earlier,” he explains. “Earlier than many others because I was driving the 2019 car.”
“But even if the symptoms are the same, it’s not certain that the cause is the same, because it’s a completely different car. This ground effect car generates its downforce in a completely different way to what we had in ’19. So we can’t really compare,” says Magnussen.
When asked whether the team can take anything positive from the 2023 season despite all the difficulties, the Haas driver says: “I think, as always when it’s this difficult, you learn a lot of things that you wouldn’t have learned if it had gone smoothly.”
“It’s character-building and it makes you stronger. You become more resilient. We build resilience for tough times. It’s not something I enjoy. I haven’t enjoyed this year too much, but there’s always another day to fight. And next year is another great opportunity for us. “
