Kevin Magnussen’s start to the 2024 season has got him on the receiving end of widespread criticism, for his ultra-aggressive and sometimes reckless driving style. Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner feels that his absence from the team has directly contributed to the same.
Magnussen returned to F1 in 2022 after spending a year away from the sport, and in his first season back with Steiner, he was the top driver in the Kannapolis-based outfit. The Dane appeared to be mature, composed, and their best hope for finishing in the points on any Grand Prix weekend. 2024 has been the opposite for Magnussen, however.
On The Track Limits podcast, Steiner says,
“I don’t know if I was a whisperer, but he just knew [what would happen] if he did something stupid. I don’t think he wanted to challenge that one, you know. To wake me up.”
The incident Steiner and the hosts of the podcast were talking about took place a week ago in Monaco. Having started from the pit lane, Magnussen made an ambitious lunge to pass Red Bull’s Sergio Perez after their turn into Saint Devote.
It resulted in a huge crash, taking him, his teammate Nico Hulkenberg, and Perez out of the team. Steiner admits that he would have lost his cool had Magnussen done something similar with him in charge.
Guenther Steiner puts himself in Komatsu’s shoes
Steiner left Haas in 2023, so he doesn’t have to worry about the consequences of a big crash anymore. However, he remains empathetic with the new team principal Ayao Komatsu. When the hosts of the podcast asked Steiner what he would tell Magnussen if he was in charge, the Italian-American replied, “I’d say what the f*ck?”
Steiner went on to talk about Magnussen’s decision-making at that moment. Starting last at a circuit like Monaco, finishing in the points is a near impossible task and Steiner said that there was no chance for the same.
These angles of Sergio Perez’s crash during Lap 1 of the F1 Monaco Grand Prix
He was able to walk away from the wreck. pic.twitter.com/HiZjWCfTAE
— ESPN (@espn) May 26, 2024
Hence, making an overtake on Perez wouldn’t have made any difference. It was too big a risk to take, with no reward in sight.
Magnussen’s incident in Monaco wasn’t an isolated event, taking this season into account. The 31-year-old has been part of multiple incidents that ended up landing him in the stewards’ room. He has 10 penalty points to his super license, leaving him on the brink of getting a race ban.
