Haas will introduce their first upgrades of 2024 in China, but they will only be available to Kevin Magnussen.
Ayao Komatsu can be credited with leading Haas to an impressive series of results in early 2024. The American team is 7th in the standings, which would be their second-best result in F1 – should they maintain it. Traditionally, limited mid-season development has been a limitation for Haas. This looks to be changing, with upgrades arriving to the VF-24 of Kevin Magnussen.
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have both scored points in 2024. Whilst hardly a sensational statistic in itself, this is a commendable achievement in Formula 1’s midfield this season. Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin consistently dominate the top 10 positions. For this reason, those behind are forced to pick up the pieces.
Despite this tremendous competition, Haas has fought for points every weekend this season. An early spin forced Hulkenberg into a recovery drive in Bahrain, whilst a poor red flag restart caused the same effect in Japan. In both instances, the 36-year-old managed to climb the field and demonstrate pace capable of a top-10 finish. This is a testament to the team’s approach during pre-season testing, which consisted of extensive high-fuel running.
Haas update package arrives in China
As mentioned previously, mid-season progression is typically an Achilles heel for Haas. When Ayao Komatsu was appointed as team principal, perhaps the biggest source of scepticism was the assumption this weakness would persist. After all, Haas only managed to bring a single package of parts last season – and they were largely ineffective.
According to German outlet AMuS, updates will be fitted to the VF-24 in China, round five of the season. This should improve what was already a strong base at the beginning of 2024, both in terms of pure performance and characteristics over race distance. Primarily, the team’s biggest victory is transforming race pace from a weakness to a strength.
This allows Komatsu’s squad to focus on bringing downforce to the car, rather than expending resources on eliminating an inherent weakness. The Japanese engineer explained early in the year that changes to improve the team’s operational efficiency were the key to improving the trajectory at Haas. So far, this approach is yielding results.
Still, both drivers will not have the newest version of the VF-24 until Imola. Kevin Magnussen will receive the updates first next weekend in China. Only a few rounds later, in Imola, will these components be fitted to Nico Hulkenberg’s package.
