Following the disastrous Monaco GP, Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu has pointedly criticised Kevin Magnussen, not Sergio Perez, accentuating the tensions within the team.
Kevin Magnussen’s position within Haas F1 appears increasingly precarious after team principal Ayao Komatsu sharply rebuked him for a crash that obliterated both team cars in the first lap of the recent Monaco Grand Prix.
Magnussen has been vociferously defending his actions since his collision with Sergio Perez (Red Bull) on the ascent from Sainte Dévote, adamantly denying any culpability. On Thursday, he insisted that Perez had seen him and should have yielded space.
However, Komatsu evidently disagrees and has communicated his perspective to Magnussen, who has been instructed to adopt an impeccable approach at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
“In Monaco, he showed pace from the first free practice, but failed to deliver during qualifying. Of course, we had a DRS issue which relegated us to the back,” Komatsu explained.
“From then, we had to opt for an alternative strategy by splitting the drivers. It’s about playing the long game. At that point, Kevin’s decision to attempt a manoeuvre into a non-existent gap was arguably misguided.”
“He expected Perez to give him more room, but that was not for him to decide. Ultimately, there was a moment when everything was under Kevin’s control, where he could have chosen to back off, which he did not.”
“We have thus had a thoroughly open discussion about it, and are now resetting for this weekend.”
Following a solid weekend at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix and a dismal showing in Miami where he accrued penalty points on his super licence, leaving him just two points shy of a race suspension, Komatsu added: “Of course, everything must be put into context, mustn’t it? You know, Kevin faced a lot of criticism post-Miami, and we discussed this several times before Imola. He managed it at Imola, so he knows he must deliver a clean weekend here.”
“This circuit could play to our car’s strengths and mask its weaknesses. Kevin is proficient on a track like this, so I expect him to be capable of a clean race weekend here.”
Fortunately for Magnussen and Haas, despite the severe appearance of the Monaco damage, it was not as critical as initially feared.
“Kevin’s car sustained significant damage. In terms of scale of work, it was considerable. It was not minor, but at least not major, if you will.”
“There was thus no concern about preparing a car for this event, but the damage was significant.”
Magnussen Criticised by Haas Boss After Monaco Chaos. Magnussen Criticised by Haas Boss After Monaco Chaos
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