Williams and Mclaren F1 Completely Lost it Over the Years: Kevin Magnussen

Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen firmly believes the team will bounce back from their current slump. The Dane claimed the team would not go down the Williams or Mclaren route and languish in the bottom for long. Haas finished 9th in the Constructors’ standings following a disappointing season.

However, according to Magnussen, the team won’t end up like Williams or McLaren- decorated teams that went through long periods of struggle. Williams and McLaren were once the most dominant teams in  F1, but have fallen down the field in recent years.

Haas to not end up like Mclaren and Williams?

In McLaren’s case, the team made immense progress and positive strides in the right direction in 2019. The team achieved a 4th place finish in the Constructors’ standings- including a podium finish in the penultimate race. The team went through a major management reshuffle and seems to be working well. This was a major step up after finishing sixth in the preceding year.

In Williams’ case, it’s been a tale of melancholy. The team ended the 2018 season last in the Constructors’ championship-scoring 7 points. 2019 saw them repeat the same feat albeit with a single point. It has been over 22 years since Williams last won a Formula One World Championship.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Magnussen said: “The first three years we took big steps forward,”

“Maybe it doesn’t look so big, but actually going from P8 in the Constructors’ to P5 in three years is pretty good

“[Haas’] third year, top five. So that’s bloody impressive. And nobody seems to notice this.”

Magnussen took Torro Rosso as an example. Torro Rosso has a victory in Formula one and achieved 2 stunning podiums last season.

However, the team has failed to finish in the top 5 since entering the sport.

Crucial season coming up

“It’s just a much more positive experience – growing, feeling the growth and the improvements and the excitement that all of this is happening.

“So then this year, we’ve taken a step back and you get that sense of the same feeling happening, people are starting to doubt themselves.

“As long as we don’t get into this big negative spiral that some of the big teams have been [in], like McLaren, and Williams,

“They completely lost it and just spent many years going backwards – I don’t think that’s going to happen here.” – continued Magnussen.

Haas struggled with  race pace in 2019. The car would perform extremely well in qualifying but grappled with tire and aerodynamic issues on Sundays. As a result of this, Haas struggled with car development and the team ran two separate cars for each driver. One developed in pre-season testing and one with the latest upgrades.

Haas F1 has re-signed Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen for 2020. The team is often seen as a form of comic relief by fans and Team Principal Guenther Steiner in particular. Haas will be looking to have a repeat of 2018 and zoom ahead of the midfield.