Kevin Magnussen spoke openly about Haas‘ new upgrade package for the 2023 United States Grand Prix, with the team also rocking a special livery at the Circuit of the Americas.
Magnussen confessed it’s been a tough year for team and driver with upgrades scarce and car performance often fading away hard from qualifying to raceday, as Haas have struggled to find any real traction during their 2023 campaign.
However, they arrive at their second home race of the year with a new floor and sidepods headlining the upgrade package.
“It’s nice to see upgrades on the car finally,” Magnussen told the media. “We haven’t had many upgrades to the car this year, it’s been tough in terms of finding performance.
“I think this upgrade is exciting because it’s very different on paper. It’s a new concept, and it’s hopefully the concept we’ll be using for next year’s car.”
Magnussen reveals where Haas must improve for 2024
Haas performed well at pre-season testing but have once again found themselves in the basement battle of the F1 grid, against Williams, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri, and Magnussen identified where the team need to improve for 2024.
He’s picked up three points finishes in grand prix in 2023, a feat Nico Hulkenberg‘s only managed once, but the German is six points ahead in the standings with better headline results.
“I think a big problem with our car this year has been how it doesn’t treat tyres very well in the race,” Magnussen added. “We often struggle with tyre life in the race. The pace that other people are able to maintain, we seem to fall off much more.
“Hopefully, the structure and strength of the flow on the car could solve that issue, so of course that’s what we’re hoping for. Nonetheless, it’s exciting.”
The Dane also shared his thoughts on the team’s Moneygram partnership a year on from the bank transfer company becoming title sponsor of Haas.
“It’s a good sponsorship,” Magnussen said. “It’s money, and we all know what that means. I think the situation we have right now, where we have five races left of the season and we’re bringing a substantial upgrade, that is something that wouldn’t have happened in the past.
