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Kevin Magnussen believes that Haas hasn't been able to utilise the full potential from its 2018 car due to the inexperience of the team. The American squad has been fighting Renault for fourth in the championship this year, despite it being just its third season in the sport.
However it has fallen behind Renault in recent races and now looks set to finish in fifth place as it is currently 30 points behind the Enstone squad. The team recently lost an appeal regarding Romain Grosjean Italian Grand Prix disqualification, where he crossed the line in sixth place.
Magnussen was also disqualified from the US Grand Prix two races ago, where he came home in ninth place. Speaking ahead of the Brazilian race, Magnussen firmly believes that Haas has the fourth fastest car, with inexperience being its biggest issue.
"We would prefer to have these points,” Magnussen stated when asked about the appeal defeat. “But at the end of the day it is what it is. It’s the rules, we tried to give it a go but it didn’t work out. I don’t think it’s that much of a blow for us.
“I think if we finish within eight points of Renault behind them then it’s going to be a little bit annoying of course,” he added. “But it is what it is, we’re not going to complain about it we just move on and try to maximise out chances of staying in the fight and beating Renault for the last two races.”
There are millions of dollars at stake when it comes to potential finishing positions in the constructor's standings. Despite Haas looking likely to miss out on the fourth place spot, Magnussen says that the team has still done an impressive job in 2018.
“It brings prize money which we can put into the development so of course it’s important,” Magnussen acknowledged. “But I think this year we’ve gone a good job. We had the performance in the car to probably finish fourth in the championship but we haven’t been able to really capitalise enough.
"We’re a very new team and I think we are punching above our weight a little bit with a car that’s a little bit too good for the experience we have, probably. But that just shows what kind of talent and potential the team has. We’ve just got to get more experience and minimise mistakes and improve consistency so we can properly fight for the position that we deserved.”
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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oldbiker100
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The first step to improving performance and consistency would be to put two drivers in the team who can bring the car home and avoid first lap accidents.
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