Kevin Magnussen remains optimistic about Haas‘ chosen development trajectory for the upcoming F1 season. This comes after the team carefully assessed two different update packages in the latter part of 2023.
In an effort to improve their standings, Haas introduced a significant update at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, which was initially adopted by both Magnussen and his teammate Nico Hülkenberg.
However, during the second-to-last race in Las Vegas, Hulkenberg reverted to the older specification, criticising the new updates as failing to deliver the expected leap forward.
Magnussen, on the other hand, continued to use the new upgrades. At the season’s final race in Abu Dhabi, he shared insights on what the team had learned from these updates and outlined their strategic direction for the 2024 season.
“I think the upgraded car is more in line with the plan for next year, the concept looks like what we think of for next year,” Magnussen commented.
“It’s not actually got more downforce on paper, it’s not faster, but it is better to drive, it’s easier, the balance is more consistent. That’s why you don’t see a step back when we run the new spec, although it’s got less downforce.
“I think that’s what we need to go into the winter, developing in that direction, and hopefully we can take a step forward for next year because it’s not been an easy year, for sure.”
When asked to reflect on a standout moment from the past season, Magnussen acknowledged that such moments were rare, considering Haas’ challenging year, where they managed only 12 points and ended up at the bottom of the constructors’ standings.
“There’s not been any great highlights I would say, unfortunately,” said Magnussen, who scored three 10th-place finishes, while Hulkenberg had a P7 result to his name.
“I think the races where we scored points have been quite… There have been races where I’ve been extremely happy with a P10, which just shows what kind of season we’ve had.
“But yeah, those races where points have been on the table have been the highlights. Unfortunately, it’s not been any better than that.”
Source: Formula1.com
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