Kevin Magnussen struggled at times throughout last season to get as much out of the team’s 2023 challenger as team-mate Nico Hulkenberg because its characteristics did not suit his style.
His preference to carry speed through a corner, which demands a car handles the transition from braking on the approach and turn-in well, was not something the Haas VF-23 was good at.
Instead, it lost stability when asked to use braking and rotational forces at the same time. This made it better for drivers like Hulkenberg, who have what’s known as a V-style approach – where they brake more in a straight line, turn sharply and then accelerate out.
As Magnussen said at the time: “You can't really combine Gs so much with these cars. You have to V the corners more. And that's the two different driving styles: V-style or not.
“There's many different variations of these two, but in broad terms that's what I find, and this year's car on our side is even more vulnerable like that.”
Haas has spent the winter trying to address the issues it faced last year, and new team boss Komatsu believes that Magnussen should feel improvements to help lift his form.
“I wouldn’t say eliminated, that’s a big word,” he said when asked about the problems that Magnussen faced last year. “But certainly, we have improved on it.
“He’s a driver who needs good entry stability and consistent [handling] through a corner.”
Source: Autosport