Kevin Magnussen explains the reason for the turnaround of his F1 form
Haas have some hope of finishing the Championship in points and Kevin Magnussen is their harbinger. K-Mag says a change in 'setup' has been one of the primary reasons for him and his team gradually returning to form.
Kevin toiled two difficult rounds in Australia and Azerbaijan, but he performed better in the first race in Saudi Arabia and recently finished P10 in Miami.
In his exclusive interview with Total-motorsports, Kevin said:
“On my side, at least this year, we’ve been, especially in the first couple of races, experimenting a lot. For the last couple of races, we’ve started with a setup we feel more confident [with]. This allowed me to just get a really good rhythm and fine-tune things for qualifying and the race.”
Haas had gone through many seasons of performing worse than the previous year, in spite of the drastic changes they came up with, in terms of partnerships, cars, and drivers. They focused entirely on the 2022 rules reset and brought inexperienced drivers like Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher who were top choices of Haas' sponsors, to race in 2021.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mazepin was dropped and Kevin Magnessun was brought back on the eve of the 2021 season.
While tight regulations prevented Haas from introducing more than one upgrade last year, the team is now able to pursue this season with a more aggressive development strategy that aims to improve their standings in the constructor's championship.
Kevin Magnussen happy with his performance at Miami and looks forward to the 2023 F1 Monaco GP
Kevin Magnussen is in excellent mental shape, according to Haas team manager Guenther Steiner, especially following an impressive finish in the 2023 F1 Miami GP. After starting from position fourth, the Danish driver placed 10th overall.
Steiner emphasized how Kevin Magnussen was in a better situation than before the 2023 Miami F1 GP when he competed bravely and even overtook Charles Leclerc for a lap. The head of the Haas team is aware of how much driver confidence is needed on the streets of Monaco. He is thus pleased to see a positive Magnussen following the Miami GP.
Kevin Magnussen feels Haas should mimic Aston Martin to improve their position in F1. It will take some time for Haas to perform at the same level as Aston Martin. Kevin Magnussen, though, is certain that his team can still advance.
In the constructors' championship heading into Monte Carlo, Haas are now in seventh place with eight points, six points behind Alpine and McLaren who are tied for fifth place with 14 points.