Renault Sport Formula 1 Team driver Kevin Magnussen arrives in Abu Dhabi hoping for a strong end to what has been a tough season, and although the Yas Marina Circuit is not particularly one of his favourite venues of the year, he has some great memories of racing there.
The Dane really likes the fact that the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a day night race, a feature he feels is pretty cool, and also affords him a nice lie-in which the 24-year-old sees as a good thing!
Turn three is Magnussen’s favourite corner of the track, and he cites the long curve down to Turn eleven as the best place for overtaking, a section the Renault driver will be looking to make up lots of places in on Sunday!
The 24-year-old had his first test in a F1 car at Abu Dhabi back in 2012, when he took part in the young driver test for the then McLaren-Mercedes team, an experience that Magnussen holds dear, whilst finishing in eleventh at the track back in 2014, was not one of his favourite moments.
The Dane is uncertain whether the Yas Marina Circuit will suit the RS16 but is still hoping for a strong final race to cap off a learning curve of a season, with hopefully a points finish being on the cards, that will be his goal anyway.
As he gets set to move to the Haas F1 Team in 2017 and leave Enstone’s doors, Magnussen reflects fondly on being part of Renault’s comeback year as a constructor in F1, a project that he says has been great fun working on with the team, who he has enjoyed brilliant banter with throughout his time in the garage.
The Dane’s highlight of the 2016 season so far was finishing in seventh place at the Russian Grand Prix back in May, when the car looked competitive and he drove a strong race to bring home the Enstone based teams first points of the year, collecting six of the French squad’s current total of eight.
After Sunday’s race Magnussen has stated that he plans to get drunk before a period of relaxation begins in the off-season, after which he will prepare himself for 2017.
