Magnussen – Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com Your daily source of motorsport news, features, results and images Mon, 30 Oct 2023 14:12:00 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cropped-favicon-1-32x32.png Magnussen – Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com 32 32 Haas confirm cause of Magnussen Mexico GP shunt https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/30/haas-confirm-cause-of-magnussen-mexico-gp-shunt/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/30/haas-confirm-cause-of-magnussen-mexico-gp-shunt/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 13:59:10 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=133127 Haas have confirmed that the suspension failure which dumped Kevin Magnussen out of the Mexico Grand Prix was triggered by a “heat issue” with the Dane’s brakes. Magnussen’s VF-23 suddenly snapped and pitched the Dane straight into the TecPro barriers at Turn 9 on Lap 32, triggering a red flag for the clean-up operation and […]]]>

Haas have confirmed that the suspension failure which dumped Kevin Magnussen out of the Mexico Grand Prix was triggered by a “heat issue” with the Dane’s brakes.

Magnussen’s VF-23 suddenly snapped and pitched the Dane straight into the TecPro barriers at Turn 9 on Lap 32, triggering a red flag for the clean-up operation and barrier repairs.

Magnussen was able to remove himself from the car unaided just moments before a fire erupted at the rear of the heavily damaged Haas.

Replays showed that Magnussen had suffered a rear left suspension failure as he traversed the high-speed esses after running in 17th.

Prior to the incident, Magnussen had been under pressure from Logan Sargeant and had shifted his brake balance rearwards in an effort to fend off the American.

Sargeant found his way past Magnussen a few corners before his eventual accident, which was caused by heat from the brakes leading to a suspected track rod failure.

Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner told Autosport: “It was a heat issue which caused a suspension failure. It was heat from the brakes.

“Kevin was defending, and it tipped over. It was just because of the high temperatures here. We just need to manage it better. Nico’s car was OK.”

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-23. 29.10.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 20, Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City, Mexico, Race Day. – www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Charniaux / XPB Images

On his return to the paddock, an unharmed Magnussen said: “Yeah, suspension gave up. I haven’t seen the team yet so perhaps they have some more information, but the rear left specifically, lost a lot of grip a couple of laps before and then it gave up.

“I think it was going alright. At the beginning of the race it was better and suddenly I fell off more than the others and then the suspension gave up. So I don’t know if it’s related, maybe there’s something there but I need to talk to the guys.

“It happened in a bad place and I hit the wall, so I got a knock on my hands and they hurt a little bit, but they’re fine.

One lap before the crash, Magnussen was seen running over the astroturf and kerbs at the exit of the final corner having spent much of his afternoon in traffic.

“Before that, it was going okay, I was stuck in traffic for a long time and cooked my tires, but I don’t know if whatever caused the failure had an impact for a while beforehand,” he added.

Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg looked to contend for points but had to settle for 13th at the chequered flag after struggling to hold onto his tyres.

“Nico was in a good position to get points, but then with the red flag, which we caused ourselves, we couldn’t keep the tyres in the last stint,” Steiner conceded.

“Our car can’t keep life in the tyres as other cars. We could fight for almost the whole distance, but almost isn’t good enough. Otherwise, it seems like the whole team performed well and Nico drove fantastically to try and get something.”

The failure to score points means that Haas now dropped to the bottom of the Constructors’ standings as a P7 finish for Daniel Ricciardo saw AlphaTauri draw level with Alfa Romeo.

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Haas drivers insist revised F1 car offered ‘positive’ signs https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/27/haas-drivers-insist-revised-f1-car-offered-positive-signs/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/27/haas-drivers-insist-revised-f1-car-offered-positive-signs/#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2023 11:39:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=132399 Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen insist that the debut of Haas’ revised car at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix delivered a “positive” initial impression. Having conceded that its previous concept had hit a development ceiling, Haas became the final team to convert to the downwash sidepod solution at its home race in Austin. After […]]]>

Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen insist that the debut of Haas’ revised car at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix delivered a “positive” initial impression.

Having conceded that its previous concept had hit a development ceiling, Haas became the final team to convert to the downwash sidepod solution at its home race in Austin.

After a suboptimal qualifying session on Friday, Haas elected to withdraw both cars to the pit lane for the race in order to conduct further set-up changes on its updated VF-23.

While Haas was unable to add to its points tally on Sunday, Hulkenberg believes the American side’s heavily upgraded package already provided a noticeable step forward.

“Obviously, Sprint weekend, so not an easy one for us,” he reflected. “And then obviously, we decided to do some big set-up changes and opted for the pit-lane start which obviously, made life a bit harder for the race. But in hindsight, it was the right decision.

“We were more competitive on Sunday. And I think that was the first time and the first day where some positive signs and steps were seen.

“I think, in terms of tyre management, this was one of the best races in a while for us. So, still exploring, still finding out and learning more about the package. And I hope there’s more to come as we go. But it was it was positive, let’s say.”

Magnussen previously warned that Haas was targeting getting on the right development path for next year over immediate improvements with its new car.

The Dane’s comments came amid the Kannapolis squad being compromised this year by the existing homologated crash structure around the side of the monocoque.

However, Magnussen has concurred with Hulkenberg’s view that he has recognised instant progress towards rectifying some of the team’s long-standing weaknesses.

Magnussen added: “I think there were some interesting and positive signs with the upgraded car. It’s a compromise, it’s not just a better car. We knew that; it’s not a surprise.

“On paper, we knew there wasn’t going to be a big lap time improvement, but we were hoping that some of the characteristics, some of the traits and weaknesses that we’ve seen all year were changed by this upgrade.

“And I think we saw some positive signs that it’s addressing some of these weaknesses.”

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas F1 Team. 26.10.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 20, Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City, Mexico, Preparation Day.

Haas’ campaign has been stymied by tyre degradation woes preventing the team from converting a plethora of promising starting berths into more regular points hauls.

Asked whether the post-race data showed Haas had made improvements in that area against its rivals, Magnussen said: “I think so, but we have to do a bit more races to feel confident that it actually is better.

“I think we saw some improvements in low-speed performance, but then we took a big hit in high-speed performance, so that’s a trade-off and a compromise that you’re making. But we need to run more and see whether the trend continues.”

The Haas duo remain wary of the challenge awaiting the team this weekend in Mexico as it bids to utilise the conventional weekend format to learn more about its upgrades.

The unique nature of the high altitude present at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez places “extreme” demands on the cooling of the cars, particularly in the race.

“We’re coming here to a pretty low-speed track, but the ambient pressure and because of the altitude you run the car in a very different configuration with the cooling,” Magnussen explained.

“And the cooling you need to run here is pretty extreme. Perhaps we take a little bit more of a hit with that as the new aero package doesn’t have as broad a spectrum of cooling options.”

“I mean, it’s obviously a quite different circuit here, different circumstances, you know, the usual Mexico challenges here with cooling, for car, for brakes, the thin air,” Hulkenberg added.

“It’s always challenging, every year. But it’s just about, you know, maximising our package and putting the best car possible on the track.”

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Magnussen: Haas F1 concept change ‘exciting’ amid ‘tough year’ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/20/magnussen-haas-f1-concept-change-exciting-amid-tough-year/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/20/magnussen-haas-f1-concept-change-exciting-amid-tough-year/#respond Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=130820 Kevin Magnussen says the eagerly-anticipated car concept change Haas is introducing at the United States Grand Prix is “exciting” amid a “tough year” for the whole team. This weekend, Haas will belatedly become the final team this season to convert to the downwash sidepod solution successfully pioneered by World Champions Red Bull. On Thursday in […]]]>

Kevin Magnussen says the eagerly-anticipated car concept change Haas is introducing at the United States Grand Prix is “exciting” amid a “tough year” for the whole team.

This weekend, Haas will belatedly become the final team this season to convert to the downwash sidepod solution successfully pioneered by World Champions Red Bull.

On Thursday in Austin, Haas revealed its new-look car, which includes improvements to the floor, engine cover, sidepod inlet, sidepods, quarter panel and padding gills.

After accepting it had hit a performance ceiling with the previous launch-spec philosophy on its VF-23, the American outfit had added minimal upgrades beforehand.

Haas will be bidding to add to its meagre points tally across the remaining five rounds, with the team being demoted to ninth in the standings by Alfa Romeo last time out.

However, Magnussen asserts Haas’ revised car will be more imperative for feeding into the development of next year rather than delivering instant performance gains.

“Yeah, it’s good. It’s nice to see the upgrade on the car, finally,” Magnussen beamed.

“We haven’t had many upgrades to the car this year. It’s been a tough year in terms of just finding performance. The guys have been really struggling this year to make gains on the car we’ve had.

“And, you know, I think this upgrade is an exciting one, because it’s very different. On paper, it’s not actually meant to be more downforce as such, but it’s a new concept.

“And it’s hopefully the concept that we’ll be using for next year’s car. And, you know, if it’s not a big gain in performance, then at least It’s some good learning and research into next year.”

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas F1 Team. 19.10.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 19, United States Grand Prix, Austin, Texas, USA, Preparation Day.

Haas’ attempts to accumulate more than the 12 points it has thus far have been stymied by failing to translate promising qualifying displays into top-10 race finishes.

The Kannapolis squad have been thwarted by consistent tyre degradation woes, which Magnussen hopes the upgrades rectify.

“I think a big problem with our car this year has been that it doesn’t treat the tyres very well in the race,” Magnussen explained. “So, we’ll just struggle with tyre life in the races.

“The pace that other people are able to maintain, we seem to fall off much more and that problem might be – although you’re not putting extra downforce, like, peak downforce – if you can better the characteristics of the car, the through-corner balance and, you know, hopefully, the structure and the strength of the flow on the car, that could solve that issue or help that issue.

“So that’s, of course, what we’re hoping for. Yeah, nonetheless, it’s exciting.”

The second home race of the season for Haas marks one year since the team announced it had struck a deal with MoneyGram to become its title sponsor.

Following the troublesome short-term arrangement with Rich Energy, Magnussen believes Haas’ latest revisions wouldn’t have been possible without its newest investment.

Asked whether the sponsorship has changed the mood at Haas, Magnussen replied: “Yeah, it has. I mean, it’s a good sponsorship.

“It’s money – and we all know what that means in Formula 1. I think the situation we have right now, where we have five races left of the season, and we’re bringing a fairly substantial upgrade, that is something that wouldn’t have happened in the past.

“We haven’t brought many upgrades this year, but that’s because the team hasn’t found the improvements that justified producing a big upgrade and spending that money for not a big gain.

“So, you know, they’ve changed concept and they’re now finding much more in the wind tunnel and it looks much more promising in the future development.

“So, bringing this upgrade with a few races to go is a very positive thing. You know, as I said, of course we hopefully it will improve our pace on track right now but even if it isn’t, then it’s still very good learning and very good research for next year’s development.”

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Magnussen ‘not expecting a first-race miracle’ with update https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/11/magnussen-not-expecting-a-first-race-miracle-with-update/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/10/11/magnussen-not-expecting-a-first-race-miracle-with-update/#respond Wed, 11 Oct 2023 11:12:10 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=129009 Kevin Magnussen says Haas will strive to re-pass Alfa Romeo in the championship but has cautioned that the team cannot expect a miracle with its impending upgrade. Haas has endured a difficult season with its VF-23 suffering from high tire degradation in race trim. Magnussen and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg have taken only five points finishes […]]]>

Kevin Magnussen says Haas will strive to re-pass Alfa Romeo in the championship but has cautioned that the team cannot expect a miracle with its impending upgrade.

Haas has endured a difficult season with its VF-23 suffering from high tire degradation in race trim.

Magnussen and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg have taken only five points finishes this season and only one of those, Magnussen’s point in Singapore, has come in the last eight events.

Alfa Romeo’s double top 10 finish in Qatar enabled the team to leap four points clear of Haas and move into eighth place in the standings.

Haas is due to bring a heavily revised VF-23 to the next event in Austin, having abandoned development of its current concept, in a long-term bid to address its current weaknesses.

“It’s a tight fight with those guys but we’ve got to hang on and try our best to get them back,” said Magnussen.

“We get an upgrade next race and we’re all very happy about that, and excited to work with that upgrade.

“We’re not expecting a miracle for the first race maybe, and it might take a race or two to really get the most out of it, but there’s still some positive stuff to look forward to.”

Haas boss Guenther Steiner is also keen to assess the performance of the new-spec VF-23.

“The end of this spec car ended worse than it started, so we’re thankful to see the end of it,” he said.

“We’ll come back in Austin with the upgrade and hopefully it works and at least we know we’re doing things to move forward – we’re not sitting here waiting for the end of the season. We will work hard until the end of the season.”

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Magnussen: Haas aiming for ‘better trajectory’ from Austin F1 upgrades https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/09/28/magnussen-haas-aiming-for-better-trajectory-from-austin-f1-upgrades/ Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:30:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=126334 Kevin Magnussen says Haas is targeting gaining a “better development trajectory” from the upgrades it will debut at the United States Grand Prix next month. Haas’ campaign has been stymied by a VF-23 car that excessively degrades its tyres, resulting in the team having been able to consistently convert strong qualifying showings into regular points […]]]>

Kevin Magnussen says Haas is targeting gaining a “better development trajectory” from the upgrades it will debut at the United States Grand Prix next month.

Haas’ campaign has been stymied by a VF-23 car that excessively degrades its tyres, resulting in the team having been able to consistently convert strong qualifying showings into regular points hauls.

The American outfit currently languishes eighth in the Constructors’ Championship with 12 points, nine points adrift of Williams and two clear of Alfa Romeo behind.

Despite Haas continuing to struggle, Magnussen, who brought an end to the team’s five-race barren run without a point in Singapore, says it will not be writing off the season with only six rounds remaining.

“There’s also more to lose,” he said. “We’re P8 right now in the Constructors, we could be P10. We have something to fight for, there’s no doubt about that.

“We’re chasing Williams for seventh, but we see how strong they are, and it looks difficult to catch them, but then the target becomes to hold onto P8, and that’s why it’s so satisfying to get that one point, because where we are with Alfa Romeo it could be very important.”

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-23. 24.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, Race Day.

Haas will be boosted by the addition of a substantial upgrade package in Austin that will see it become the final team to convert to the ‘downwash’ style sidepod solution pioneered by World Champions Red Bull.

However, Magnussen contends that the Kannapolis squad isn’t expecting immediate performance gains from its revised car. The Dane reasons that it is instead bidding to avoid the development limitations that it has encountered with its current concept.

“I don’t think we’re actually expecting to take a big step with the upgraded car, but what we’re really hoping is to open the gate to more performance, to have better development trajectory,” he explained.

“We kind of hit a wall with this car, we weren’t finding stuff in the wind tunnel, hence why we didn’t bring upgrades to this car, so we’re hoping to punch a hole in the ceiling that we’ve kind of hid with this car and go in a different direction and hopefully find more performance down the line.”

He added: “Secretly I’m hoping that we are going to take a step forward and the last five races [are] brilliant. But of course, we gotta be realistic and keep expectations realistic.

“Nonetheless, it’s going to give us an opportunity to have a look in real life at this concept of car and hopefully that will be useful in the development of next year’s car as well.”

Providing the updates do arrive in time for its second home event of the year, Haas will only have five races to learn about its modified car before the season concludes.

Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner admits the team will be in a race against time to get a grasp on the updated VF-23 ahead of defining its direction for next year.

“Absolutely, and we had very little time to develop it,” he told Autosport.

“And when we decided we do it, we were wide open just to bring it to Austin to have as many races as possible.

“I’m not just trying to be careful. I’m just saying hopefully it works, and it gives us what we think it gives. And if it doesn’t do that one it does the other thing, helping us for next year.”

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Five-second penalties not ‘strict enough’, vent F1 drivers after Perez example https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/09/26/five-second-penalties-not-strict-enough-vent-f1-drivers-after-perez-example/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/09/26/five-second-penalties-not-strict-enough-vent-f1-drivers-after-perez-example/#comments Tue, 26 Sep 2023 14:45:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=126049 Alex Albon has called for tougher penalties for avoidable collisions as Formula 1’s current rules are “not really teaching drivers anything”. The Williams driver’s critique of the current penalty system comes after he was involved in a late crash with Sergio Perez in Singapore, costing him a potential points finish. Albon was involved in another […]]]>

Alex Albon has called for tougher penalties for avoidable collisions as Formula 1’s current rules are “not really teaching drivers anything”.

The Williams driver’s critique of the current penalty system comes after he was involved in a late crash with Sergio Perez in Singapore, costing him a potential points finish.

Albon was involved in another close call with Perez in Japan, with the Mexican then going on to make contact with Kevin Magnussen as he sought to turn around his race and make his way back towards the points after falling down the order.

Perez received five-second time penalties for the incidents in Singapore and Japan. However, the standard penalty for causing a collision has had no impact on his classification in either race.

The five-second penalty Perez received in Singapore failed to drop Perez lower than his eighth-place finishing position.

Then in Japan, Perez initially retired from the race only to be sent back out for a couple of laps, 26 laps down on the frontrunners, to finish serving his penalties and not face consequences at the next race in Qatar.

“The problem for me is in Turn 11, he [Perez] did the same move again to me on track today and I avoided it,” Albon said on Sunday in Suzuka.

“And then he did it again to Kevin. I was behind it so I had the best view of everyone.

“So it clearly is not teaching the drivers anything because the penalties aren’t strict enough. I mean, that’s two races in a row.”

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-23 is hit by Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull Racing RB19. 24.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, Race Day. – www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Coates / XPB Images

Magnussen was also critical of Perez’s optimistic overtaking attempt, saying: “I just got spun around there by Perez, and it ruined our race.

“We had to pit, and that was too early for the two-stop strategy that we had, and the tyre degradation that we had. It was just too early to pit then. But we had to.

“I mean five seconds, I think he’s penalising himself, there’s a natural penalty for him doing that,” the Dane said in response to the Red Bull driver’s time penalty.

“It doesn’t look good for him, but it is what it is. We’re racing. He was in a shitty position, and he made a shitty move.”

In response to the plea for harsher penalties for race-ruining contact, the director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, George Russell said: “Yeah, I mean I’ve been in the position where I’ve taken blame.

“Austin last year I made the mistake with Carlos and I got five seconds for it. That was probably drive-through worthy.

“It’s difficult because you can’t judge, you shouldn’t judge the consequence of the incident but sometimes you need to judge the consequence of the incident. So I’ll need to review.”

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Magnussen criticises ‘desperate’ Perez move that ‘ended our race’ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/09/25/magnussen-criticises-desperate-perez-move-that-ended-our-race/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:45:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=125854 Kevin Magnussen has labelled Sergio Perez’s attempt at an overtake that resulted in contact at the Japanese Grand Prix as a “pretty desperate move”. Having scored his first point since May last time out in Singapore, Magnussen continued his Marina Bay exploits on Saturday in Suzuka by out-qualifying Nico Hulkenberg for only the fifth time […]]]>

Kevin Magnussen has labelled Sergio Perez’s attempt at an overtake that resulted in contact at the Japanese Grand Prix as a “pretty desperate move”.

Having scored his first point since May last time out in Singapore, Magnussen continued his Marina Bay exploits on Saturday in Suzuka by out-qualifying Nico Hulkenberg for only the fifth time this season.

Magnussen was running 11th in the opening stages when Perez, who was recovering from a front wing change at the end of the first lap, locked up and charged into the side of the Haas at the Turn 11 hairpin.

Perez was hit with a five-second time penalty – his second of the race – before retiring. The Mexican would later reappear back out on track to serve the penalty and avoid getting a possible grid drop in Qatar.

“I just got hit on my rear tyre,” Magnussen explained. “It was a pretty desperate move, but it is what it is. I got spun around and then we had to pit.”

The Dane insists that being pitched into a spin forced him to come into the pits for a change of tyres earlier than he had intended.

Amid Haas’ continuous struggles with tyre degradation with its VF-23 car, Magnussen asserts that the early contact with the Red Bull curtailed his chance of a strong result.

“That was too early for the two-stop strategy and the tyre degradation that we had on our car,” added Magnussen, who was the last classified runner.

“So it made that situation a lot worse by having to pit at that point. It ended our race there – and his as well, of course.”

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-23 is passed by team mate Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Haas VF-23 after he was hit in the race. 24.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 17, Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka, Japan, Race Day.

Meanwhile, team-mate Nico Hulkenberg adopted a three-stop strategy but finished only one place ahead of Magnussen as the Hair duo brought up the rear of the field.

“I think I stayed out of the messy part at the start as on the left, two cars ahead of me, there was contact,” Hulkenberg reflected.

“I managed to capitalise from that on the inside line and took three or four cars which was quite nice and rewarding. I then gained one further position from someone else, so it was good.

“We went into the race with a three-stop intention, obviously we’re not the best on tyre management, so I think it was the right call.”

However, Team Principal Guenther Steiner was slightly more upbeat about Haas’ Suzuka showing, citing that he was pleased the side maximised the package it had.

Steiner revealed earlier this month that the American outfit will bring a revised car to its home race in Austin, translating closer to Red Bull’s ‘downwash’ sidepod solution.

“It was a tough race I’d say, but the positive is the team did the best they could with what we’ve got,” the Italian underlined.

“We got close to fighting our opponents, we were on a different strategy with Nico, and it almost worked out. I know almost is not good enough but with Kevin we lost out because of the spin when Sergio Perez hit him, so we fell back.

“In the end, we know it’s tough at the moment, but as long as we keep on delivering with what we’ve got that’s a positive, and when we get a better car, we’ll be there ready to take it.”

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Magnussen: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever fought so hard for a point’ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/09/19/magnussen-i-dont-think-ive-ever-fought-so-hard-for-a-point/ Tue, 19 Sep 2023 14:15:49 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=124529 Kevin Magnussen claims he’s not “fought so hard for a point” after taking the chequered flag in 10th place finish in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix. After qualifying sixth on Saturday, Magnussen was finally able to convert Haas’ promising one-lap pace into a points-scoring position at the Marina Bay Circuit. Consistent difficulties with managing tyre degradation […]]]>

Kevin Magnussen claims he’s not “fought so hard for a point” after taking the chequered flag in 10th place finish in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.

After qualifying sixth on Saturday, Magnussen was finally able to convert Haas’ promising one-lap pace into a points-scoring position at the Marina Bay Circuit.

Consistent difficulties with managing tyre degradation have seen the American outfit regularly languish outside of the points this year, despite a series of top-10 starting appearances.

However, after qualifying in sixth, with team-mate Nico Hulkenberg 10th on the grid, Magnussen was adamant post-qualifying that the team had “to be thinking about points.”

Despite a mistake that cost him ground late on, Magnussen was eventually able to fight back to finish in 10th, his first point since Miami in May.

“It was a hard fight, I don’t think I’ve ever fought so hard for a point,” he said post-race.

“But I really really wanted it and you know after qualifying it would have been so disappointing not to get anything out of it.

“It looked tough at one point once I had that off in T1/T2 I thought it was game over my tyres were just done.

“So we pitted, for Softs and it worked really well and the pace was good, we made up a few positions and a few people crashed and I got a point and I’m glad I worked so hard for it.”

The Dane went wide when defending against Pierre Gasly at Turn 7, dropping him several positions and seemingly out of contention for claiming the points he so desperately craved.

But when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed to remove the stranded Alpine of Esteban Ocon on Lap 44, Magnussen dived into the pits for a brand-new set of Soft tyres.

The decision proved fruitful as Magnussen was able to recover to 11th, inheriting 10th courtesy of George Russell’s last-lap crash. The Haas driver was proud of his team’s tyre gamble.

“We got an opportunity and we took it,” Magnussen added. “We were ready to capitalise.

“I always say we go into these races we know that the race pace isn’t going to be that good and tyre deg isn’t going to be on our side so we’ve just got to be ready to take any opportunity there is and we did that today and it paid off.”

Hulkenberg couldn’t convert a one-stop into points in Singapore

On the other side of the Haas garage, Hulkenberg was left feeling like he and the team had missed an opportunity.

The German was second in a Haas double stack in the first run of pit-stops, losing positions, but he found himself ahead of Magnussen prior to the Virtual Safety Car period later on.

But instead of pitting, Hulkenberg committed to the one-stop and fell from the top 10 to finish 13th on ageing tyres.

“Lots invested, lots of work but no payout unfortunately at the end,” Hulkenberg rued.

“Starting off the first Safety Car obviously, I was the trailing car so, double stop and you know, lost a lot of positions and ground there and then which was not ideal.

“But yeah, it’s unfortunate, not much we can do about that and then I think, yeah, managed to do a one-stop but at the end, you know, it was just falling, falling fruit.

“I think we probably missed an opportunity in that final VSC, I feel there could have been points there as I was way ahead of Kevin and he managed 10th.

“So yeah, we need to review that.

“Bit of a shame, so yeah, disappointed but drove a good race so nothing you know personally to be unhappy about today.”

Magnussen’s solitary point for the team takes Haas’ tally to 12 points in the Constructors’ Championships, nine points behind Williams in seventh place.

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Haas targeting points finish in Singapore GP https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/09/17/haas-targeting-points-finish-in-singapore-gp/ Sun, 17 Sep 2023 09:35:18 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=124258 Kevin Magnussen says Haas is targeting points in the Singapore Grand Prix after both the team’s cars reached Q3 in qualifying. After a challenging run of races, Haas was expecting to struggle at the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend. However, the American outfit took advantage of Red Bull’s surprise struggles to get both cars […]]]>

Kevin Magnussen says Haas is targeting points in the Singapore Grand Prix after both the team’s cars reached Q3 in qualifying.

After a challenging run of races, Haas was expecting to struggle at the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend.

However, the American outfit took advantage of Red Bull’s surprise struggles to get both cars through to the pole position shootout, with Magnussen and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg wounding up sixth and ninth respectively.

Having secured his best starting spot since the Miami Grand Prix, Magnussen has made no secret of what the team’s target should be in Sunday’s race.

“We’ve got to be thinking about points,” he said. “It has been a good weekend so far, bit surprising but we’ll take it, we’ll try to take advantage tomorrow.”

The Haas VF-23 has proven to regularly a good one-lap car throughout 2023 but has struggled massively with race pace and tyre degradation.

That being said, the bulk of the qualifying efforts have laid at Hulkenberg’s door this year and the German driver made his eighth Q3 appearance on Saturday, finishing ninth.

“I didn’t see that coming to be honest,” Hulkenberg admitted.

“I thought that if we made it into Q3 it would be a good effort but to both in there and in P6, I didn’t see that.”

Magnussen shared Hulkenberg’s surprise and was keen to stress Haas needs to learn why it has been so good in Singapore so far.

“I think it’s interesting and I hope we can find out why some of the reasons we’re stronger here to try and replicate later on and hopefully we can learn something as well, but for now of course the focus is to try and get something out of tomorrow,” the Dane added.

“As I said it’s a good place to start up high. Knowing that usually our race pace is not as good, Singapore is a nice place to be in this position.”

Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas VF-23. 16.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 16, Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore, Qualifying Day. – www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Coates / XPB Images

Asked about the team’s prospects in the race, in particularly long-run pace, Magnussen remains hopeful Singapore can keep producing positive results for Haas.

“Doesn’t seem like it’s as good as the short run, but we’ve been surprised this weekend many times so hopefully we can be surprised again tomorrow,” he expressed.

This is a sentiment shared by Hulkenberg, who said after Saturday’s qualifying session: “The long run yesterday didn’t look too encouraging, that’s why I’m a little bit careful and cautious, but maybe something will happen.

“We know that over one lap we’ve been strong that continued obviously here today and I think this track being low-speed dominated favours that even more.

“Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

The Haas pairing has failed to take any points since the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Race, where Hulkenberg finished in sixth place and the team currently lies eighth in the Constructors’ standings on 11 points, 10 behind seventh-placed Williams.

The team’s struggles with its current car concept have prompted a switch to the ‘downwash’ sidepod concept, which will be introduced to the VF-23 next month in Austin.

With both Williams lying several positions back on Sunday’s grid, Haas will need to make the most of its opportunity to regain some ground on its rivals.

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Magnussen explains qualifying deficit to Hulkenberg in 2023 https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/09/13/magnussen-explains-qualifying-deficit-to-hulkenberg-in-2023/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 10:45:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=123549 Kevin Magnussen has explained that Nico Hulkenberg’s qualifying superiority in 2023 has primarily derived from the latter managing Haas’ issues more consistently. Haas’ campaign has continuously been stymied by excessive tyre degradation trouble squandering a plethora of promising starting positions at several rounds. Consequently, the American outfit resides in eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship […]]]>

Kevin Magnussen has explained that Nico Hulkenberg’s qualifying superiority in 2023 has primarily derived from the latter managing Haas’ issues more consistently.

Haas’ campaign has continuously been stymied by excessive tyre degradation trouble squandering a plethora of promising starting positions at several rounds.

Consequently, the American outfit resides in eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship with only 11 points to date, 10 behind Williams one position above.

Nevertheless, Haas announced last month that its current driver line-up would be retained for next year as the team seeks continuity to arrest its recent plight.

Magnussen has showered praise on his team-mate, underlining that his experience will continue to prove vital to Haas’ chances of hauling itself up the pecking order.

“It’s good to have someone with that much experience when you’re trying to develop a car,” he said via RacingNews365.

“When you have an issue and you need a new direction, it’s good to have all this experience in the team.”

(L to R): Kevin Magnussen (DEN) Haas F1 Team with Nico Hulkenberg (GER) Haas F1 Team on the drivers’ parade. 27.08.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 14, Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort, Netherlands, Race Day.

While Magnussen comfortably dispatched team-mate Mick Schumacher last year, the ex-Renault racer has been edged in every performance metric by Hulkenberg.

Alongside outscoring Magnussen by eight points to three, Hulkenberg has regularly classified ahead of the Dane in both qualifying and race trim this season.

Magnussen, who has only one Q3 appearance to his name this year compared to his partner’s seven, admits that Hulkenberg has been able to “drive around” Haas’ problems more frequently to unlock the car’s inherent one-lap potential.

“In terms of the pace, it’s not like I have this problem like: ‘I just can’t drive this car’,” he explained.

“On Sunday, it’s always fine. It’s just [during that] one lap [in qualifying], sometimes I struggle to get it out [of the car].

“I have had good qualifyings this year. I qualified P4 in Miami so it’s not like I can’t do it ever.

“But he seems to be able to drive around the issue a little more often, but I think I’m turning it around.”

After Valtteri Bottas earned a solitary point for Alfa Romeo at the Italian Grand Prix, Haas is now the team that has gone the most rounds without scoring a point.

The Kannapolis-based camp entered the summer shutdown only one point shy of Williams, but the British side’s impressive form since the break has seen it accelerate ahead of its immediate rivals.

But despite a troubling spell for the team, Magnussen has declared he’s optimistic Haas is well-placed to become a contender at the front of the midfield in 2024.

The Ferrari-powered customer will reportedly debut a revised car at the United States Grand Prix in October, drawing inspiration from the all-conquering Red Bull RB19.

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