The reason for the photo of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen holding a hammer in the cockpit on the last day of F1 preseason testing has been made public.
Before the Dane returns to the Bahrain International Circuit for the opening race of the new season the following week, this strange moment occurred during his final practice session in the new VF-24.
Magnussen explained, “[I was] just adjusting the seat,” as an explanation for his possession of a hammer.
“You bring out like a version of that seat, but it’s never 100% accurate. We were scanning the seat I ran last year and will run this year.
“So there were a few adjustments to be made.”
Positive impressions about the vehicle
Due to the extreme wear on their rear tyres during races, which hindered Magnussen and teammate Nico Hulkenberg’s ability to defend against opponents in the latter stages of their runs and frequently required them to make additional pit stops, Haas finished last in the Constructors’ standings the previous year.
Magnussen gave in, saying that even though his crew finished more laps than any other during the three-day test, “you never get all the answers you need, you always want more time.”
“It is really restrictive to have three testing days and to divide those three days among the drivers.
“Considering the short time we had, I believe we accomplished a lot and received positive feedback on the car. The goal is to strive for excellence on Sundays; we attempted to tackle this by engaging in a lot of high-fuel race running, and I believe we made progress.
“We haven’t fixed the issue completely but I do think we have made progress and hopefully it is enough to make a difference next week.”
