‘Outstanding’ £4m-a-year F1 driver didn’t want upgrades installed on his car at the US Grand Prix

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The United States Grand Prix started the first of two triple-headers that will conclude an almighty 2024 Formula 1 campaign.

Both championships are yet to be settled although Max Verstappen extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 57 points in a blow to Lando Norris.

Ferrari took a big stride forward in their battle to win the team championship with a thoroughly impressive one-two finish in Sunday’s Grand Prix, despite not declaring a single update on their car.

Other teams enjoyed mixed results with the new parts they brought to the track, although Haas were arguably the standout manufacturer when it came to their new United States Grand Prix package.

Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen both secured points in the Sprint Race before the German added another four points to his tally in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

However, a report from Auto Motor und Sport has revealed some interesting details about how Haas’s weekend panned out.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota partnerships

Initially, only Hulkenberg ran Haas’s upgraded parts before they were installed on Magnussen’s car.

The £4m-a-year Danish driver, however, didn’t initially want the updates put on his car after beating Hulkenberg in the Sprint Race.

In the end, Magnussen was described as ‘outstanding’ during SQ2 on Sky Sports F1 and can thank the work Haas have done throughout the season to improve the car.

Kevin Magnussen didn’t want Haas’s upgrades during the US Grand Prix weekend

Haas introduced a new underbody to Hulkenberg’s car as well as modified side panels.

It earned the German sixth on the grid for the Sprint Race and eventually four points in the main Grand Prix as he extended his lead over Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda in the Drivers’ Championship.

Although Magnussen was faster than his teammate in the Sprint Race, the data Haas saw suggested that the 32-year-old would be better off with the new parts as well.

However, the report from AMuS says Magnussen ‘would have decided differently’ if it was up to him on whether to run the new parts.

Magnussen didn’t get a chance to test the updates before qualifying and said: “I learned something new with every lap.

READ MORE: Haas driver Kevin Magnussen’s life outside F1 from wife and daughters to net worth

“When I got to Q3, I told my race engineer that I hadn’t managed a clean lap yet. I had the feeling that I could go even faster.

“Today it is no longer the case that you feel ten points more downforce in every corner. Things have become much more complex.

“The upgrade has improved the driving characteristics in the areas where we still had weaknesses.”

Ayao Komatsu laments strategy mistake that cost Kevin Magnussen points in Austin

Team principal Ayao Komatsu was delighted that Haas leapfrogged RB in the Constructors’ Championship after their best weekend of the season.

However, the Japanese engineer is a perfectionist and wasn’t happy with one decision the team made during Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Magnussen pitted twice when the optimum strategy was to only come in once, and explaining the decision, Komatsu said: “We expected two stops, but we were open and wanted to decide what to do during the race.

“Kevin was stuck behind Gasly and had Tsunoda breathing down his neck. Fearing that Tsunoda would surprise us with an undercut, we brought Kevin in.”

Unfortunately, the lap Magnussen was called in for a second stop, Sergio Perez overtook Tsunoda, annoying Komatsu who went on to say: “I should have stopped the action, but unfortunately we had communication problems at the pit wall again.”

Ultimately, the extra pit stop potentially cost Magnussen points and handed a top-ten finish to Williams star Franco Colapinto.

However, Haas once again showed that they’re capable of taking significant steps forward with their update packages, something much bigger teams have failed to do throughout the last two seasons.