Haas Disqualified from Monaco GP Qualifying, Forced to Start at Back of the Grid

Nico Hulkenberg has established himself as a strong qualifier, frequently reaching Q3 despite driving a car not among the top five fastest.

Qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix seemed promising for Haas as both drivers made it into Q2.

Unfortunately, post-session, both Haas cars were disqualified, relegating them to the back row for Sunday’s race.

Former team principal Guenther Steiner addressed Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg on Instagram after the disqualification news broke, confirming they would start 19th and 20th.

The Haas drivers find themselves in starkly different positions after the first seven races of the season. Starting from the back of the grid at Monaco is particularly challenging due to its narrow, twisting layout.

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Nico Hulkenberg has established himself as a strong qualifier, frequently reaching Q3 despite driving a car not among the top five fastest.

His performance earned him a move to Sauber for 2025, ahead of their Audi takeover.

However, given Sauber’s current lack of pace, he might be second-guessing his decision after their poor showing on Saturday.

The margin between drivers was only a few hundredths of a second, preventing Hulkenberg from reaching Q3 this time.

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Kevin Magnussen, on the other hand, has struggled to match Hulkenberg in both qualifying and races this season.

His seat is under scrutiny, though he did manage to eliminate Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez in Q1. Initially set to start mid-grid, Haas now faces the back row due to their disqualification.

Steiner humorously addressed the situation on Instagram, posting: “Does anybody want to borrow my tape measure?”

The FIA’s official statement explained: “The uppermost rear wing element adjustable positions were checked on car numbers 20 [Magnussen] and 27 [Hulkenberg].

The [left-hand side] and [right-hand side] outermost area of the adjustable elements were exceeding the maximum allowed 85mm on both cars.”

The stewards determined that the DRS-related part was non-compliant, leading to the disqualification.

Under parc ferme rules, teams cannot make certain adjustments, forcing Haas to change the part and resulting in their disqualification.

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Steiner’s cheeky remark is typical of his character.

Haas now hopes for chaos ahead of them in the race to have any chance of scoring points.

With teams like Williams, Alpine, and RB starting in the top ten, Haas’s standings in the Constructors’ Championship could suffer significantly.