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American outfit Haas F1's team principal Ayao Komatsu felt no remorse for his drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg's strategy during the recently-concluded Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
A new-look Haas F1 under the leadership of Komatsu entered the 2024 campaign with hopes of leaving behind their ghosts of the past and starting afresh. While much is to be desired from the American outfit after two races into the season, a particular incident involving drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen put the team under spotlight for the wrong reasons.
Kevin Magnussen was handed a 10-second penalty during the race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for driving off the track and slowing down RB driver Yuki Tsunoda. This was done in order to allow his teammate Nico Hulkenberg to create a gap for a free pit stop.
The move didn't impress the RB team, with racing director Alan Permane even calling Magnussen's behavior "unsportsmanlike" after the race.
However, Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu showed no remorse when asked about the incident during a recent media session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. Komatsu, who replaced Guenther Steiner at the start of the season, stated (via Autosport):
"At that point, we already had a 10-second penalty for [contact with] Albon. So as soon as we know that we'd got a 10-second penalty by Albon, Kevin's out in terms of fighting for points, right?
"That's why he backed everybody up to get Nico to score a point. And that strategy, I don't make any apology."
Komatsu then dismissed accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct, asserting that any team in their position would have resorted to similar tactics for maximizing their chances of scoring points. He branded such criticism as "complete bullshit" and stood by the team's decision.
Haas team boss "accepts criticism" following Saudi Arabian GP incident
Despite being unapologetic for the incident with Yuki Tsunoda, Komatsu admitted the fact that the Magnussen went off the track in a bid to put himself in front of Yuki Tsunoda. He said:
"I accept criticism. The criticism is the fact that we as a team didn't know that Kevin overtook Tsunoda by going off the track. We just didn't know that at that time.
The Haas team principal added:
"So that's the criticism I totally accept, we should have known that as a team straight away. As a team, we should have instructed Kevin to give the position back straight away."
After two races, Haas F1 are ranked sixth in the Constructors' standings with a sole point to their name, courtesy of Nico Hulkenberg's P10 finish in Saudi Arabia. The German is P11 in the drivers' standings, whereas Kevin Magnussen finds himself on 15th-position without a single point to his name.
