Kevin Magnussen believes that the new base set up in Maranello has helped Haas become more competitive in 2022 by improving their collaboration with Ferrari.
Last year, Haas spent essentially the entire season preparing for the new technical regulations that were introduced this season, meaning that they went the whole year without managing a single point.
Only Williams, Manor Marussia, Caterham and HRT had met the same unfortunate fate in the 11 seasons previous, but the work they completed on the VF-22 certainly paid off.
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Magnussen returned from a year out to replace the sacked Nikita Mazepin, and he has scored points in three of the opening seven races this year – it might have been more had it not been for contact with Sir Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap in Spain.
They have scored five times the number of points that they had in the last two seasons, and Magnussen owes part of that to the auxiliary design office in Maranello to go with their headquarters in California, an already-established Italian factory in Varano and their UK base in Banbury.
“That’s been a nice change in the team,” said the Dane.
“They moved in the year I’ve been away – it’s a bigger group now in Maranello. I think that helps communication between the different departments, just being able to go and talk to each other.”
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That communication is easier now, in the 29-year-old’s view, than it was during the four seasons he spent there before.
“For all those years, our team was spread out over the world – the US, two places in Italy, one in England, so very spread out,” added Magnussen.
“In terms of communication, it makes it easier when you can just go to mate’s desk and have a chat.
“And of course, the cars shows that too. So it’s in a good place Haas are heading in.”
Haas’ relationship with Ferrari enabled them to take up some of the free space in Maranello without spending any extra money on it, which was particularly important for them under the new $140 million budget restrictions.