Kevin Magnussen says his first F1 podium remains the ultimate moment for him in his career, as he praises Ayao Komatsu’s work ethic in 2024.
The wait for the second F1 podium ended up in a disappointment for Magnussen eventually, as the Dane couldn’t score another after his first came in his first-ever grand prix with McLaren. Certainly at that time, he would have hoped for more but it never happened so.
Whether it was his luck or Haas’, both suffered when other midfield teams managed to sneak on the podium at odd occasions. The American outfit too hasn’t managed to find its way, much like Magnussen, who raced for the team for most part of his racing career.
Despite that, his ultimate moment remains his only podium. “The best moment was the first race when it all happened, it is my only podium in Formula 1,” said Magnussen to media. “Also, to have a podium in your first race weekend in Formula 1, it is very special. It is pretty cool to have that sort of achievement.
“Because there are only small handful of drivers to end up on the podium in their first race. Just imagine that a young boy, getting into Formula 1, you get on the podium immediately, it was very-very special feeling,” summed up Magnussen, who when asked about his best moment from 2024, he noted about the Mexican GP where he finished seventh in the order.
Even though Haas couldn’t take sixth – thanks to the late push from Alpine – Magnussen was all praise for new team boss Komatsu’s role to steer the ship in the right direction. “I think Mexico was super strong,” he said. “It was kind of a bit of an outlier. We were just really really quick in the race, had fantastic tyre degradation and it was like a bit of an odd one in terms of how quick we were.
“As for Ayao, I think the communication and the development team, all the different groups that are developing the car, are communicating a lot better than some more constructive process and given Ayao is an engineer, he understands all the process, and in the development of the team, it is easier for him to implement new structure and new process, that are more efficient for developing.
“Also, I guess, he’s been good at making decisions like swapping around few people in charge of different things and again him being an engineer, it is easier for him to spot who’s good and who’s not good and who’s right for which position, so that has been his strength,” summed up Magnussen.
Here’s Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen on their relation change
Here’s Nico Hulkenberg on consistency, Ayao Komatsu
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