Kevin Magnussen gets first run for U.S-based Haas F1 Team
Kevin Magnussen enjoyed his first run for his new team Haas in Barcelona Monday morning, although all didn’t go to plan as he spun into the wall.
Fortunately, the damage wasn’t too bad and it did not curtail his day’s running. In turning his laps, Magnussen has also become the first man to try the Mercedes, Honda, Renault and Ferrari engines on track.
“We got some laps, not as many as we planned, but that is what we kind of expected,” said the Dane. “You have a plan in case everything goes right, but you always expect a few issue with sensors and stuff like that to be fixed in the morning. Hopefully in the afternoon we can carry on and get some more laps on the car and start working.”
Regarding his crash, he said: “In Turn 10, in braking, I had a big rear locking, so I completely locked the rears which is the same as pulling a handbrake on a road car. So I lost the rear and spun and brushed the wall, so we had some damage to the front wing. No drama at all. Again stuff like brake balance, and brake maps and stuff like that, is what we are here to sort out. We learned something this morning.”
Magnussen had positive impressions of the new high downforce cars.
“It feels different. The first impression is a lot of grip, and especially in the high speed there is a lot more grip and stability in the car than with last year’s car, the last generation of cars. I still need to get a little bit more laps in the car to get a proper feeling.”
“It feels very stable – especially in the high speed is where we feel the biggest difference. I still need to push the car a bit more to properly get a feeling. It will be interesting to see with the soft tires as well later on in testing to really feel the maximum. For now, it is just about getting more kilometers on the car, and see if everything is working, making all the checks and stuff like that. Today is about a little bit of problem testing.”
