The 2019 season is interesting from Kevin Magnussen’s perspective, who has signed a two-year deal with Haas and doesn’t have to worry about staying in Formula 1. During the summer break he got married but after coming back he had to deal with the underperforming this year’s car of the American team. During the Spa-Francorchamps weekend, he sat down with ŚwiatWyścigów.pl’s Roksana Ćwik to discuss the current issues.
Hi Kevin, congratulations to you and Louise. Was it difficult to come back to the paddock after such a lovely weekend?
It wasn’t hard but we had a really good time, so I really wouldn’t have minded if the summer break lasted for another week or two. It was very good, but I’m also happy to be back.
Is the break disrupting you flow in any way?
Not really. It’s only a few weeks, so you go away and have a bit of fun and recharge the batteries but it’s okay, when you come back you are still in the groove.
Spa is a special place for you but also one where you had a horrific accident. Do you like this circuit?
Yes, I love Spa. It’s very good track, an exciting place to drive and always makes for good racing. Overtaking is possible and the races are usually exciting, so I look forward to it again.
Do you miss the old Spa?
Yes, I miss the old Spa. I think it’s not that good to have all this run-off area. I don’t know if it’s safer this way and I don’t really care. It takes away the fun, the excitement and the challenge of the track. It’s a bit of a pity to have it like that.
For a while you and Romain had been using different specs of cars. Was it difficult to figure out the issues you had with the car?
Yes, it’s a little bit hard. We have been working really hard trying to pin-point the issues. It has been difficult to point out to the weakness of the car. We’re seeing some big inconsistencies and we don’t really understand why. It’s good that we made the decision to commit to this upgrade and hopefully we can fix the weaknesses, because we see a great potential.
Was it your decision to stick with the current car while Romain reverted back to the Melbourne-spec?
It was more of a team decision, with me on board. We took the decision together and are committing to it.
What can we expect from you in this regard?
At the moment we don’t have anything specific. I think we’re still in the process of understanding. The deal is that we have a car that can be very good at times but is very inconsistent and only works in a very small window. We need to broaden that window, so we can perform at the high level more often.
After a very strong beginning the team has had, is it a bit of a shock to find yourself struggling so much?
You know, it goes up and down. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. At the end of the day, you just need to prepare yourself as well as you can and try to get the best out of every session every weekend and take any opportunity that you get, because you never know when you might be in a position to score points. Even when you are racing for P14-P15, you need to fight as hard as you can and hope for the best as you may have people changing strategies or having accidents and failures, so you have to always be there.
You have a two-year deal while Romain is fighting to keep his seat. Do you pay attention to what is going on on the other side of the garage?
For me it’s not a concern because I can focus on my own job and whatever happens on the other side is not really my concern. Obviously I want the best for the team, so I’m happy if they have a good driver in the other car because we need to push the team together and I need someone in the other car to help me do that. I already have that, so I’m pretty happy with where we are and I trust that the team will make the best decision for its future, whether Romain stays or someone else comes in.
What do you think about possibly working with Nico Hülkenberg?
No problem. As I said, I think Romain is a pretty good driver, so I’m happy with where we are, but on the other hand someone like Nico could add some other qualities and has his experience from other teams. He’s obviously a very good driver and would be able to score some great points. As long as the driver is of a calibre of Romain or Hülkenberg, then I’m happy. We don’t want any bad drivers in the car and for sure we will not have that.
Do you keep track of the developments regarding the Rich Energy sponsorship?
It’s not really my concern. It’s not a secret that I have my opinion but it’s not really my problem. As long as the team is functioning and we can do a good job on track, then I’m happy. Obviously I want the best for the team, so it’s not good when these things happen but they’ve got it under control.
We have seen a provisional 2020 calendar with some short gaps that will concern the teams. Does it affect your job in any way?
Not really. We just go on the plane and show up on the next place, while the rest of the team need to pack everything together and get it sent off, while also working on cars and repairing stuff in between. They’re also not travelling business class and sleeping in nice hotels, so for us is not a problem, but for them it’s tough.
What about the jet lag?
Jet lag is annoying but it’s nothing compared to what the mechanics and the rest of the team deals with.
Have you heard about the Motorsport Games?
Never heard of that.
