Former F1 Haas team principal Guenther Steiner defends driver decision despite ‘boring’ grid admission

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Former F1 team principal defends driver decision despite ‘boring’ grid admission

The 2024 grid will line up exactly the same as the end of 2023

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Wednesday 10 January 2024 14:57 Updated: 21:32

Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has insisted that he made the right decision to keep Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg as the team's driver pairing – despite joking that a lack of change on the grid was 'boring'.

For the first time in F1 history, the same 20 drivers that ended the 2023 season will line-up for lights out in Bahrain this year.

There was of course a mid-season casualty in the form of Nyck de Vries, as Daniel Ricciardo retained his spot at AlphaTauri after replacing the Dutchman.

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The lack of change also means that both Hulkenberg and Magnussen will pair up again at Haas, something that Steiner believes is a huge advantage for the team.

Former Haas F1 team principal, Guenther Steiner

Nico Hulkenberg (L) and Kevin Magnussen (R) will make up Haas' driver line-up for the 2024 season

Steiner: Lack of F1 driver change boring!

Speaking prior to his shock departure from Haas on Wednesday, Steiner joked on the KTM Summer Grill: “It's pretty boring, no driver change! What is happening? Completely 100 per cent stable grid is, wow!

“But anyway for us, thank God we had the experience in the car this year with the drivers being experienced because at least we were not in doubt that the driver is not good.

Haas finished P10 in the constructors' championship in 2023

“The driver contributed, we know what they can do and they are a known quantity not only to us but to the whole world. So we did not try to blame or [say] ‘The driver didn't do a good job’.

“Obviously, we still have to change things, but at least we know what we need to change and it isn’t the drivers…

“So that helps us a lot and going into next year with the same driver pairing. It's at least something we don't have to worry about. We’ve got a lot of other things to worry about, but not that one!”

Nico Hulkenberg Guenther Steiner Kevin Magnussen Haas F1 Team