Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia

Haas: Unsafe release response showed new system working

The Haas Formula 1 team feels its fast response to Kevin Magnussen's unsafe release during Austrian Grand Prix practice shows it has improved since the pitstop disaster it suffered in Melbourne.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team, in the team's garage

Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team, in the team's garage

Andrew Hone / Motorsport Images

Haas mechanics watch Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team VF-18, exit the team's garage
Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team VF-18
Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team VF-18
Haas mechanics at work on the Kevin Magnussen Haas F1 Team VF-18
Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team VF-18 runs wide

Haas was fined €5000 by the FIA after releasing Magnussen's car from its pit without the right front wheel properly attached during Friday's second free practice session at the Red Bull Ring.

According to the stewards' judgement "the team admitted that there had been a problem, with the accidental triggering of the blue ("OK") light on the wheel gun, falsely signalling that the wheel had been correctly fitted".

Haas lost a significant double points finish in the season-opening Australian GP, after Magnussen and teammate Romain Grosjean both lost wheels following their respective pitstops.

Haas took measures to improve its pitstop procedures after that race, including shuffling personnel in the pit crew, and team boss Gunther Steiner reckoned the fact his team "reacted instantly, instructing the driver to stop the car and the driver stopped the car in a safe manner immediately" in Austria, according to the stewards, showed how much progress Haas has made since Australia.

"One of guys didn't have the wheel on and it [the car] came down," Steiner explained.

"The mistake is he pushed the button but it [the wheel] was free, but he realised and we stopped him [Magnussen] immediately afterwards.

"I think the system worked. It wasn't good for us because it cost us €5000 for sure, but even in the race if you do something you can push it back and then go out again – you're not retiring.

"So it worked what we put in place [since Melbourne], that's the good thing. I'm not happy that we did a release unsafe and had to pay a fine, but we got something positive out of it."

 

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Verstappen ran with "cut" floor in Austrian GP practice
Next article FIA responds to Grosjean over "nonsense" penalty

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia