Kevin Magnussen, Haas, Monza, 2023

Haas’ 2023 car ‘one of our weakest but foundations are strong’ – Magnussen

RaceFans Round-up

Posted on

| Written by

In the round-up: Kevin Magnussen insists Haas are capable of more than they have shown in 2023.

In brief

Haas have ‘weakest car but strongest foundations’

Magnussen says Haas are stronger than their car’s performance has indicated through the 2023 season so far.

Haas sit eighth in the constructors standings on 11 points but have only secured one points finish over the last nine rounds, in Austria. Asked if the previous round at Monza has been one of his toughest in F1, after he and team mate Nico Hulkenberg were the last cars running at the flag, Magnussen insisted his team are stronger than they look.

“Certainly it’s one of the weakest [weekends], I think, but I still believe that the team is in a stronger place than it has been,” he said.

“It’s just a paradox that we have probably one of the weakest cars we’ve had. With the strong foundation that I see in the team, I think we can do a lot better and I think we will do a lot better. So it really is a patience game. It’s about really sticking it out with what we have at the moment and waiting for better things.”

Perez lacks focus for being Mexican – Marko

Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has claimed Sergio Perez lacks the mentality to perform at the same level as the team’s champion drivers Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel because of his nationality.

Speaking to Red Bull’s Servus TV channel on Monday, Marko said Perez produced “one of his better weekends” at Monza where he completed a one-two for the team behind Verstappen.

However, Marko added, “we know that he has problems in qualifying, he fluctuates, he’s South American and his head just isn’t as fully focused as Max or Sebastian was.” Perez is from Mexico, in North America.

“But the racing is good and his race yesterday was a very, very good race,” Marko continued. “He had three people to overtake, it wasn’t easy, and the Ferraris were faster on the straight. So he did absolutely everything right.”

Fans must respect drivers’ space in paddock – Gasly

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has urged fans with paddock access to be considerate of them during grand prix weekends.

Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix saw scenes of some drivers being crowded at times by enthusiastic fans, while the relatively cramped paddock in Monza for last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix also saw some drivers struggle for room during the weekend.

“I love fans and I love to always stop by and give some time, but it’s our work environment,” Gasly said.

“Sometimes it’s a bit tricky to get around and make sure that we are on time for the commitment that we’ve got because it’s minute-by-minute, and it’s clearly one of the busiest pit lanes. It’s very enjoyable, but sometimes it’s even people like knocking at the door inside your hospitality, you wonder how they got there, so [they] need to give the space we need to work properly.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Social media

Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Comment of the day

After our exclusive interview with Lando Norris, in which he admits to being careful about what he says on social media, Erg sympathises with the McLaren driver.

He’s referred to himself in past interviews as both an introvert and anxious, and that probably plays into it a lot more than him being “weird.” Given that he’s one of the most well-liked drivers by the other drivers on the grid who actually know him, it seems more like it’s his discomfort with the media piece of it (and the volume of hate he gets probably compounding on that).

The comments when he accidentally broke Max’s trophy [in Hungary] were absolutely insane, and there’s been a noticeable pull back from social media and almost an edge to him in interviews since then. It seems like that hate had more of an effect than people realized.

I think F1 fans, when it comes to all drivers, need to consider that we’d all be way, way worse in these situations than they are and they’re all pretty young whose entire lives have built up to this. There’s just not really much grace given to any of them and it’s a level of scrutiny that would mess with anyone’s head.
Erg

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Kngs!

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

25 comments on “Haas’ 2023 car ‘one of our weakest but foundations are strong’ – Magnussen”

  1. This comment from Helmut Marko strikes up all the red flags that we want o see removed from the sport. This is a very discriminatory comment and I hope the FIa take this seriously.

    1. Agree. I don’t understand the reason behind giving that statement. Of all the ridiculous statements Marko has made about the driver who isn’t Vettel or Max, this is by far the most ridiculous. I can’t think of a more unlikeable character in the F1 paddock… Horner might come close.. but this dude definitely takes the crown.

      1. Agreed but only because Ron Dennis is not there anymore. If I had the possibility to erase just three people from History so they would never have been born RD would be one of them.

    2. Aquila_GD, this is not the first time either that Marko has made negative remarks based on Perez’s nationality either.

      Back in April 2022, when Marko was asked about what concerns he had for Perez’s welfare in the Saudi Arabian GP in the wake of the attacks by the Houthi’s on the nearby oil refinery, Marko effectively went “well, he’s from Mexico City, he should be used to it”.

      After the French GP in July 2022, when asked about Perez having been slightly slow to react to the race resuming from a virtual safety car due to being slightly confused over the messages from the FIA, Marko made jokes about Perez being hung over from drinking too much tequila the night before.

      In August 2022, Marko then made comments that are similar to the ones he’s made now – i.e. calling Perez “mentally weak” and unable to perform consistently because he was “South American”.

      The latest comments are not a one off remark – they’re part of a series of similar comments that Marko’s been making over an extended period of time. However, it seems that both the FIA and Red Bull themselves are ignoring the matter – indeed, at least some of the time, Red Bull are the ones giving Marko the media platform from which to make those remarks in the first place.

    3. Very much this.
      Quite an appalling and racist comment from Marko.
      Time to go Helmut, get back to your cave.

    4. Completely agree. Unwanted and unnecessary comments that have no place in the sport.

    5. I hope Marko has either chosen to skip Mexico this year, or has hired some very good body guards!

  2. Seriously Helmut…

    1. Yep, unbelievable… Racist, stupid and ignorant as Mexico is not a South American country. But Brazil his… Motherland of Senna who was known not to be able to focus indeed.

      Djeez, Horner, get rid of Her Dr Djunk

  3. It’s funny that comment from Marko isn’t being red flagged… That sort of remark is very harmful.

    I hope Red Bull puts a stop to it. He’s a disgrace of a person …

  4. Sounds like Marko needs to go on one of the same courses his former driver Juri Vips went on.

    1. Yeah, looks like a nice time at RB ! And with Max in couple with the daughter of Nelson Piquet, dinners must be fun …

    2. Excellent idea!

  5. Mexico is geographically in North America actually.
    I’m surprised people still fail to realize this these days.

    1. Mexico is geographically in North America actually.

      @jerejj That is already noted in the article.

  6. Perez lacks focus for being Mexican – Marko

    What a manipulative headline, disgusting.

    1. he’s South American and his head just isn’t as fully focused as Max or Sebastian was

      What is disgusting? Marko’s behavior ? Or the fact the headline is missing the geographical mistake on top of a plain racist comment ?

      1. Perez lacks focus for being South American – Marko

        This is how it should look like, instead of what you see in the news. Shameful “journalism”.

        Why would comments made by Marko be disgusting or racist? Do you live only to be perpetually offended by something? In 2017 SOUTH AMERICAN Juan Pablo Montoya said:

        “I learned a lot when I ran with Ralf (Schumacher), he was really quick. But European drivers are very weak mentally. You can get in their head really easily and I think that explains what you’re seeing today and what you’ve always seen in F1. “When things go their way, they’re really strong. When Lewis [Hamilton] is winning, he’s unstoppable but if something goes wrong, they spiral down, it’s huge. If the cars’ were closer together I think you would see different people winning.”

        As a European, I categorically declare such comments aimed at us aren’t racist in the slightest and people getting offended by them are snowflakes who should spend more time outside of the internet.

        1. Whining on details. Turning it however you want wont change what he’s said. And then you put on your best snowflakes comments, please.

      2. I find the insinuation that Marko made incorrect.
        But at the same time this site is (again) stirring it up by getting the punctuation wrong in the quote:

        He has form fluctuations.
        He is South-American.
        And, he is simply not as fully focussed in his head like for instance Max, or Vettel was.

        And the title is amplifying the stirring up! Firstly he did not mention ‘Mexican’, but more important he never mentioned ‘for’, or made the direct link.

        I don’t like the racial reference by Marko, but why does it need stirring up?
        All that’s missing is somebody saying that he made those comments because he is Austrian.

        1. PS didn’t know how best to translate “Formschwankungen”.
          ‘Form’ stand for ‘being is shape’ or close to ‘performance’

  7. I think its a very entertaining throw away ironic put down, given the idiocy and casual racism of Marko’s comments.

    1. Amazing, I responded to a comment that’s since been deleted, so now it’s a new message without context!

  8. On another topic, Haas:

    So it really is a patience game. It’s about really sticking it out with what we have at the moment and waiting for better things.

    Umm, Haas has been ‘waiting’ since 2016. Waiting should be over by now.

    1. 2017 and 2018 doesn’t exist to you?

Comments are closed.