The Dane has exclusive use of the revamped Haas at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with his American-owned team adopting a Ferrari-style concept for its first in-season development.
Although Magnussen finished just 0.187 seconds ahead of teammate Mick Schumacher in the old car at the end of second practice, he felt the lap time did not reveal the car’s full potential.
Having yet to unlock a decent balance, Magnussen felt the car’s true pace was far from realized.
Asked by Autosport if the car felt better than the old version, Magnussen replied: “Initially it doesn’t because it’s difficult to get the settings perfect for the first few laps. But it doesn’t hurt at all.
“There are positive new features that will be interesting to explore. But there is work to be done to really get the most out of it.
Improved sidepods on the Kevin Magnussen Haas VF-22
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
While Magnussen only finished 16th on the FP2 timesheets, he felt the Hungaroring would never be the best track for the team.
“We don’t look so competitive here this weekend, but I think it’s more just because maybe we’re not so competitive in Budapest,” he explained.
“We have already seen that we can change things. And there’s definitely more to be found with these new parts.
Haas team manager Gunther Steiner said the most promising aspect of the first day of operation with the update was that there was a good correlation between the wind tunnel data and what was seen on the trail.
“The numbers don’t look bad,” he said. “Obviously we had a bit of a balance issue, but that’s completely normal when you have a new package.
Asked what the data was telling the team in terms of comparing it to the old package, Steiner said, “It says all the right things. Obviously, we need to look in more detail. But for the moment, it seems in the right direction.
