News
Magnussen left ‘struggling to see’ after Haas headrest issue
He may have finished the second day of Barcelona pre-season testing as the third fastest runner – but Kevin Magnussen found himself bizarrely side-lined in place of Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi during the afternoon after a headrest issue on his VF-19 affected his ability to drive the car.
Magnussen showed some promising pace in the black-and-gold Haas before being swapped out for Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time world champion Emerson, with Haas later tweeting that the Dane had a ‘seat-fit issue’.
“I was sitting just with my head pointing forwards, so struggling to see,” Magnussen explained afterwards. “The headrest was too far forward and when you sit like this and you brake, it's not easy… to drive anymore.
“That's something we need to fix. An easy fix but we don't have the parts, we don't have another headrest to fit, so we need to get that sorted.”
F1 Pre-Season Testing: Leclerc puts Ferrari fastest for second straight day
Despite the issues however, Magnussen believes that, fundamentally, the car Haas have equipped him with for 2019 is a good one.
“The early impression is that it is feeling good,” he said. “There's no big issues or inconsistencies and it’s nice to drive, predictable and those are positive things when you jump in a new car – that you don't jump in and feel uncomfortable… you get in and you feel like at home. I'm sure it could be a lot worse than where we are.”
Magnussen is next scheduled to run in the car on Thursday, giving Haas just 36 hours to rectify the problem if the Dane is to get any more all-important running in his new machine this week.
This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your
Kevin Magnussen - 'Lots of little problems'
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
News 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix tickets on sale now
News F1 and Topps announce exclusive long-term renewal
News ‘Life is crazy sometimes’ – Sainz overjoyed after ‘rollercoaster’ ride from hospital bed to Australian GP victory
News Red Bull-backed rising star Ayumu Iwasa to make F1 weekend debut with RB during practice at Japanese GP