Magnussen fighting for Haas future – Komatsu

Kevin Magnussen is fighting for his future at Haas but helped his cause with a strong performance in Imola, according to team principal Ayao Komatsu.

Nico Hulkenberg has already announced his departure from Haas at the end of this season, heading to Stake before it becomes Audi in 2026. Magnussen has been part of the Haas lineup for all but two of the seasons the team has raced in Formula 1 so far, but with the likes of Ollie Bearman heavily linked with a drive and multiple other experienced names available on the market, Komatsu says the Dane’s place is under threat.

“Yes ,” Komatsu told SpeedCity Broadcasting. “I can’t say much but of course yes, he needs to perform. But then a drive like is very, very good. So now Kevin needs to put the whole weekend together.”

Magnussen finished 12th in Imola, 8.5 seconds off Yuki Tsunoda in the final points-paying positi on, but Komatsu says a strategic team error cost him a chance of 10th.

“I think we could have got P10 for sure, especially with Kevin,” he said. “Kevin started from the back, but he had a good start, he had decent pace on the medium and we went long and were looking at the gap to Zhou, and then we got the pit stop lap wrong.

“One lap too late, so we came out behind Zhou. It shouldn’t have happened, and if we came out in front of Zhou, with the pace he had, he would have got Tsunoda, I’m pretty sure. So that’s really frustrating.

“I think the good thing is because we are performing out on the track, but that’s why it’s so frustrating that we should have had P10, and then other people will see that we are a proper race team now. Our best chance to attract good drivers is through the on-track sporting stuff, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”