AUSTIN — As daybreak breaks this Sunday on the Circuit of the Americas forward of the Formulation 1 United States Grand Prix, Haas is on the verge of a dream journey to Austin.
A surprising double-points end from Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen in Saturday’s F1 Dash Race noticed the crew pull stage with Visa Money App RB F1 Group on factors for sixth within the Constructors’ Championship. Due to a pair of sixth-place finishes from Hülkenberg earlier within the 12 months, Haas now leads VCARB in that battle as a consequence of tiebreaker guidelines.
Due to Magnussen who certified ninth for Sunday’s most important occasion — forward of Yuki Tsunoda, the lead VCARB — Haas is in pull additional forward.
Talking with the media, together with SB Nation, after qualifying on Saturday Magnussen famous it was a “pleasure” driving the VF-24 up to now this week in Austin.
“It’s all the time extra enjoyable operating, you understand, additional ahead,” mentioned Magnussen. “Only a pleasure driving the automotive this weekend. It’s been actually good on this observe. You realize, we’re seeing some form of combined up area right here, and fortunately we’re on the nice finish of that.”
Haas introduced an improve bundle to Austin for the USA Grand Prix however rolled that out conservatively. The crew determined to separate the improve, putting in it first on Hülkenberg’s VF-24 forward of the primary apply session and ready on information from these outcomes earlier than deciding whether or not to put in the bundle on Magnussen’s automotive.
With each drivers ending within the factors — Hülkenberg with the upgraded automotive, Magnussen on an older specification — there was some query after the F1 Dash Race whether or not Haas would proceed as deliberate and set up the improve on Magnussen’s automotive forward of qualifying.
The motive force himself puzzled about that plan following qualifying. Finally, nonetheless, Haas went ahead with the set up, and Magnussen famous after qualifying that he was “joyful” with how the method unfolded.
“Yeah, I’m pleased with that, and nice to really feel the improve working effectively. I believe it’s not evening and day, however it’s good that we put it on and we aren’t going slower, you understand, and there shall be extra investigations and I’m positive, you understand, the info that we’ve seen up to now indicating that it’s an enchancment will become appropriate,” mentioned Magnussen.
“However, you understand, that’s all the time an unknown, particularly going into qualifying with no likelihood to form of, you understand, appropriate any form of little variations that there may be, bodywork to physique work and flooring to flooring.
“So, yeah, nice job from the crew to make this improve and truly simply be capable of bolt it on and go.”
Magnussen was requested if he used the early portion of qualifying to attempt to get acclimated to the upgraded VF-24, and the Haas driver indicated that was certainly the case. Not simply in Q1, however all through the whole session.
This implies there could possibly be much more potential unlocked tomorrow.
“Yeah, [you’re] getting accustomed to it. However just about all over the qualifying,” started Magnussen. “I acquired into Q3 and I advised the crew, I hadn’t finished a superb lap. So there’s positively potential there.”
Magnussen additionally famous that his closing run in Q3 — which was aborted after George Russell’s laborious shunt — was on tempo to be a “nice” lap on his final new set of sentimental tires. The Haas driver believes that’s one other signal there’s much more potential come race time.
“And, you understand, in Q3 I solely had one set of recent tires and that was on the finish once we acquired the yellow flag, and that lap was gonna be an incredible lap.
“I sit up for going tomorrow.”
