Kevin Magnussen is optimistic about the upcoming Formula 1 season. The Haas driver admits that the team will most likely be behind its rivals in the first races, but thanks to the car’s modernization program throughout the year, we can count on progress in 2024.
Q: You are entering your seventh season with Haas. What do you expect from the new team leader Ayo Komatsu, and what is your relationship with him?
Kevin Magnussen: I have a good relationship with Ayo. He has been with the team for eight years since its founding in 2016, and I have worked very closely with him since 2017. Now he has become a leader – a big change for our team.
Ayo is an engineer and he has a lot of technical experience in Formula 1. It is very interesting that someone with such a mentality is leading the team. I think this will change the dynamics and communication within our organization.
Q: How was your preparation for the season?
Kevin Magnussen: Fine. Every year I try to get on the track in better condition than last season. There is always an opportunity to train harder, but you will never be perfectly prepared.
In recent years I have started paying more attention to physical fitness. Because the rider weight limit was set, there was the opportunity to bulk up and build muscle without fear of being at a disadvantage, and I took advantage of the opportunity.
I’m looking forward to the start of the season, which will start in very good form, but maintaining it throughout the season will not be easy.
Q: Last year the team brought new products to Austin, and you spent the end of the season in a redesigned car. What changes did you feel? Are you happy with the way the team is moving in this direction with VF-24?
Kevin Magnussen: Last year’s update was an experiment. In fact, it can hardly be called an update, as it did not so much improve the car as represent an alternative version. It was a good experiment and led to the concept for this year’s car. We wanted to evaluate the potential of the chosen concept on the track. I hope we can take a step forward.
The team started developing this year’s car quite late, so we didn’t have much time, but so far everything is going well. While I don’t think we’re guaranteed to make a step forward in the first race of the season in Bahrain, the technical idea certainly looks interesting.
Question: What problems were typical of last year’s VF-23?
Kevin Magnussen: The car we started last season with had good grip, but was very unstable and inconsistent. Sometimes this got me into trouble.
I prefer the front of the car to be stable so that both oversteer and understeer can be handled. The car behaved unstable at late corner entry, when you have to turn and hold the brake pedal at the same time. The updates we brought to Austin helped this issue.
The new products didn’t allow us to take a big step forward, but they were a step in the right direction. I hope we will take a bigger step forward this season.
Q: What are your expectations from Bahrain and the VF-24 modernization program?
Kevin Magnussen: Expectations to perform well this year. For years, the team had an unrealistic optimism before the start of each season, which also influenced me.
Ayo made it clear that in his opinion we have not yet deviated from the positions we took last year. However, he says the development path will be steeper, so he is optimistic that we will make progress this year.
The battle in the peloton is very exciting, but last year we hit a wall in terms of development. We couldn’t break that barrier, so we changed the concept of the car, which looks better this year. Expectations are low at the start of the season, but we have to improve as the year progresses.
Q: Last season you surpassed the 150 Grand Prix mark. Does this statistic mean anything to you?
Kevin Magnussen: I think those statistics really mean a lot, but you don’t want to admit it. In reality, people care more about results, such as the number of podium finishes, pole positions, wins or titles. These are the stats you dream about, not how many races you’ve competed in.
After all, I have been racing in Formula 1 for years and have driven many races. This is an achievement, but not the kind I dreamed of as a child.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
