Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu was unhappy with the FIA’s decision to penalise Kevin Magnussen for contact with Yuki Tsunoda. The Dane tried an ambitious move on the VCARB driver at the end of sector 1, launching his VF-24 up the inside. He slowly understeered and briefly lost the rear of the car – putting his front wing into contact with Tsunoda’s rear end. According to Komatsu, this incident was a racing incident as a “minimum”.
Overall, it was another encouraging weekend for Haas. Nico Hulkenberg claimed points for the third time in 2024, capitalising on his P9 grid slot. The 36-year-old executed a faultless race for the US squad, once again demonstrating his speed and dependability.
Meanwhile, Haas were once again very strong operationally. Komatsu deserves credit for this, with the Japanese team principal working on a series of important changes behind the scenes. As it stands, the team is in P7 in the Championship – a substantial improvement from last year.
On the opposite side of the garage, it was a far messier weekend. Kevin Magnussen was slower than his teammate throughout the weekend, putting him beyond realistic points contention in Shanghai.
In an ambitious attempt to climb the field, Magnussen’s #20 car hit the #22 of Yuki Tsunoda. He was swiftly handed a 10-second time penalty by the FIA, who deemed him responsible for causing a collision.
Haas team principal disagrees with FIA verdict
However, Ayao Komatsu did not agree with this assessment:
“I do not think that’s justifiable. I think it’s just a racing incident,” motorsport.com quotes him as saying.
“He [Magnussen] didn’t run Tsunoda off track. He dived inside of turn 6, hit the apex, Tsunoda was wide. He still left room, Tsunoda came back progressively.
“He doesn’t go off track, so maybe the definition of ‘came back’ might be wrong.
“But it’s not like Kevin is wholly to blame. If anything, I think [it’s] more Tsunoda’s [fault]…
“He [Magnussen] didn’t then run Tsunoda off track. He still has room left, so why is that a penalty?”
The consensus in F1 circles, at least broadly, seems to agree with the stewards’ decision. Then again, it is not unusual for team principals to defend their drivers in media interviews.
Still, these comments will likely be met with opposition elsewhere in the paddock. Looking at the incident from a more macro perspective, it is not the first time that Magnussen – though undoubtedly quick – has proven slightly clumsy in wheel-to-wheel action.
