Haas F1 saw both of their cars disqualified from qualifying in Monaco this weekend because their rear wings when open exceeded the 85mm slot gap allowed in the FIA car design regulations. Yet in a surprising twist of events, team boss Ayao Komatsu revealed how this came about and blames ‘communication issues’ for the mistake.

Having qualified P12 (Hulkenberg) and P15 (Magnussen) their fortunes appeared to be improving in the principality as the Haas F1 outfit sit in the championship with zero points along with future Audi partner Stake Sauber.

 

 

 

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Ousted Haas team boss, Guenther Steiner mocked the error made by his former squad posting on Instagram: “Does anybody want to borrow my tape measure?”

The new rear wing is part of the small number of upgrades the US owned team have been able to bring to the car this season, but a shift in the design concept meant the trackside team had to assemble the structure in a different fashion from the one they ran last time out in Imola.

Yet the design team back at base failed to inform the trackside personnel of the matter and the engineers in the paddock had not properly checked the assembly before the cars hit the track.

“If the designers had made it absolutely clear that the design intention was slightly different from the wings you have been using before, so you have to check it in this way, that would have helped,” explained Komatsu to assembled media.

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Haas boss says design team failed to communicate difference

“But at the same time, even with other information, the trackside checks should have checked the whole legality surface.

“There was no performance gained, absolutely zero, but that’s not the point. The car has to be legal. So, we just have to accept this as a failure of the team, and then learn from it, and make sure we don’t make the same mistake again.”

The Haas team boss has vowed to address the failure in processes to prevent a repeat of such a boo-boo in the future.

“For the designer who designed it, in his mind it’s clear: this wing is legal, but it’s got a different profile. So he needed to think, should I communicate that to make sure that other people who didn’t design the thing understand it?

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Haas trackside staff failed to check

“For the trackside people, if they had had that highlighted it would have helped. But even without that, with a brand-new rear wing, just don’t assume anything. You just have to check every single legal surface: that’s what we should be doing.

“So again, a bit of complacency, a bit of assumption, without actually thinking ‘Okay, this is the new rear wing, it could be different.’ We just need to improve working as a team.”

Changing parts on the car while its in parc ferme would usually result in a pit lane start for the Haas drivers. Yet because the issue was one of making an adjustment to the current wing, Magnussen and Hulkenberg have received grid drops and will start the race at the back of the grid.

When asked which wing the cars would be running in today’s Grand Prix, Komatsu said: “It’s the same wing, but we can adjust it. With the DRS open gap, there is a mechanism to adjust it for where you are going to get to the maximum.

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P19 and P20, not pit lane start

“We have a parc ferme request to adjust it. So that is legal, and it’s been approved. So, we adjust it on both cars and we start from P19 to P20.”

Nico Hulkenberg is off to pastures new next season as the incoming Audi project have persuaded him to join their efforts. Kevin Magnussen who is beaten by his team mate week in and out during qualifying is also thought to be leaving the US owned F1 team.

Alpine’s five year project to win races is in ruins and Monaco paddock rumours suggest Esteban Ocon is talking to Haas F1, though his team boss Bruno Famin insists: “We don’t feel any pressure about the driver market because we have two good drivers. We will be happy to continue with them.”

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Magnussen facing F1 exit

Alpine may be happy, but clearly Grand Prix winner Ocon believes the Alpine project is not going in the right direction. Haas boss Ayao Komatsu revealed in Monaco, “We are talking to some drivers. I have no reason to close the door on anyone at this point,” he was quoted by Ekstra Bladet newspaper.

Magnussen may be facing the end of his F1 career which saw him take a break when team boss Gene was determined to pair Mick Schumacher and Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. Yet with Russias invasion of Ukraine, Mazepin was banned from driving in F1 which provided a welcome return for the team’s former driver Kevin Magnussen.

Haas will be hoping for a chaotic Monaco Grand Prix which is the only hope they have of claiming their first points of the season. Yet the weather is set fair for this afternoons race, so it may be down to crashtors Logan SARGEANT and Lance STROLL to provide the safety cars which could shake up the order of what tends to be a rather processional race.

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Red Bull issue 100% to exit rumours

In a strong statement designed to quell rumours of an imminent exodus, Red Bull Racing Technical Director Pierre Wache has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the team. This comes amid widespread speculation linking him with a possible move to Ferrari.

In an exclusive interview with Crash.net during the Monaco Grand Prix, Wache confirmed his long-term commitment to Red Bull Racing. The assertion comes in the wake of legendary car designer Adrian Newey’s decision to leave the team at the start of 2025, sparking rumours of a wider exodus of key personnel.

However, sources close to Crash.net reveal that Red Bull have successfully secured long-term contracts with several senior figures within the team, effectively quashing those concerns… READ MORE