F1 News: Haas Chief Reveals 'Complacency' Behind Disqualification of Drivers

Haas F1 team's disqualification at the Monaco Grand Prix has been traced back to a simple lapse of communication.

Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, Friday at the Monaco Grand Prix / Haas

At the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, both Haas F1 Team drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, were disqualified shortly after qualifying due to technical non-compliance with the Drag Reduction System. The discovery made by the FIA highlighted a critical lapse in the team's internal communications, as revealed by team chief Ayao Komatsu in conversation with Motorsport.com.

During the stringent post-qualification checks, FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer found that the DRS flaps on both Haas cars exceeded the maximum allowable opening of 85mm. This breach, specified under Technical Regulations Article 3.10.10 h), originated from a miscommunication regarding a newly designed rear wing. The team had not properly relayed the changes in design specifications to the trackside crew, leading to improper setups.

Haas Chief Ayao Komatsu openly addressed the error, indicating that the anomaly, while not offering a performance advantage, pointed to a deeper issue with operational protocols.

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

"There was no performance gained," he assured the outlet. "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," Komatsu explained.

The newly appointed Japanese boss further highlighted the lack of clear communication from the designers to the trackside team as a primary contributor to the oversight. "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?

"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."

Despite the debacle during qualifying, the cars did not require a design change for the race itself. Instead, Haas submitted a parc fermé request, which was approved, allowing them to adjust the DRS gap legally for the upcoming race. Consequently, both Magnussen and Hulkenberg started from the back of the grid, specifically from positions P19 and P20.