Haas driver Kevin Magnussen says the workforce won’t have any “unrealistic optimism” heading into the 2024 season in contrast with some earlier years.
During the last three seasons, Haas have completed tenth and final within the constructors’ championship twice, in 2021 and 2023, and eighth in 2022.
Lengthy-time workforce principal Guenther Steiner’s contract was not renewed by workforce proprietor Gene Haas in January. Ayao Komatsu has taken over, and Magnussen says expectations for the workforce are “being managed fairly effectively this yr.”
“I believe in some years there was some unrealistic optimism going into seasons and I’ve been affected by it as effectively,” Magnussen mentioned.
“Actually, Ayao could be very clear that he doesn’t suppose we’ve moved out of final yr’s place but however he’s clear in that he sees the event trajectory trying so much stronger, so he’s truly optimistic that we will transfer ahead by this yr.
“All the subject is so shut collectively and I believe final yr we fully ran right into a wall when it comes to improvement. We couldn’t actually break that barrier till we shifted the idea, and this yr is trying so much higher. Expectations are low to start with however excessive for the season as a complete.”
Magnussen believes Komatsu’s promotion to workforce principal will result in a change of tradition inside the workforce.
“I’ve a very good relationship with Ayao,” Magnussen mentioned. “He’s been with the workforce for eight years, because the starting in 2016, so I’ve labored very carefully with him ever since I got here to Haas in 2017.
“It’s been a giant change in our workforce, after all, changing into workforce principal. Ayao is an engineer, and he has an affordable quantity of engineering expertise with a Formulation 1 workforce, and stepping into that mindset on the helm of the workforce goes to be very fascinating. I believe it’s going to vary the dynamic and communication throughout the entire organisation.”
Staff mate Nico Hulkenberg, who drove the workforce’s new VF-24 for the primary time at a shakedown at Silverstone on Wednesday, desires to see the workforce make a step up from their disappointing 2023 season, when issues with extreme tyre put on over the course of stints ruined many races.
“Hopefully, the automotive will likely be a bit higher with the constraints that we discovered final yr,” mentioned Hulkenberg. “You naturally need to do higher than the earlier yr, that’s regular.
“We did have a tough yr final yr, so we undoubtedly need to enhance – particularly the race weak point we had final yr – that was one thing we have to and need to get on prime of. I’ve seen the brand new automotive, it does look higher, it’s an evolution.
“We managed to scrub up some issues however at this level of the yr, like yearly, you’re a bit at nighttime as to the place you’re and the place you’re going to rank, so we simply have to hold our heads down, hold working exhausting, and keep targeted.”
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