Kevin Magnussen is pleased that the opening races of 2017 has proven that his Haas F1 Team is firmly amongst the midfield battle, and he hopes that they can return to the front of this battle this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dane has one top ten finish so far in the opening four races of the current campaign after finishing eighth in the Chinese Grand Prix, and he admits that the 2017 cars are a lot more fun to drive than their predecessors.
“We all get used to the cars very quickly. After testing they all felt very familiar and normal,” said Magnussen. “You still notice how fast they are. You still feel extremely good when you push the car. It’s a lot more fun than before.
“We’re in the mix of that midfield group, which is extremely tight. It will vary a little bit from race to race in terms of who’s in front of that group, but we’re certainly in the mix.”
Magnussen is hopeful that the upgrades Haas will bring to Spain this weekend will have a positive effect on the handling and speed of the car, and he is looking forward to seeing how the car has evolved since pre-season testing at the tough Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya track.
“We have some upgrades coming for Barcelona.” said Magnussen. “It’s always interesting to see what they can bring. Hopefully, it will be positive.
“It depends on how big the effect of these upgrades are. Obviously, if it changes the behaviour of the car, then we need to dial the balance back in and do a bit of work on the setup. Hopefully, it will be pretty transparent and straightforward, but we’ll have to wait and see.
“It’s a pretty tough track. There are some fast corners there that pull on the neck, some good braking zones. It’s always a pretty physical track but I look forward to it.”
