Haas will run separate specification packages at this week’s Las Vegas Grand Prix to suit the preferences of their two drivers.
Kevin Magnussen will move forward with the team’s most recent aerodynamic package that debuted at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, while Nico Hulkenberg will return to Haas’ previous VF-23 spec.
Haas was the final Formula 1 team to convert to the Red Bull-inspired downwash sidepod concept in an effort to improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduced the tire degradation issues that have plagued the team. However, with two sprint weekends sandwiching the high altitude of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Haas has yet to get a firm grip on the new package.
Magnussen also suffered a start-line crash with Williams’ Alex Albon at the Sao Paul Grand Prix in Brazil, while Hulkenberg finished P12. The drivers will now split spec packages in Las Vegas.
“The main drive behind this was Nico feels that for him the old spec suits him better, and Kevin is the opposite,” Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said. “We’ve opted to give them what they want, we have two races to go and nothing to lose, so we’ve tried to do what we can.
“We could discuss gathering data, but we’ve got enough data, it’s a decision based on what each driver likes more than anything else. It puts them in a comfortable position so that they’re as happy as they can be with the car they get.”
–Field Level Media