Kevin Magnussen completed 81 laps on day one of the second pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and felt the mileage completed in the VF-17 was valuable.
The Danish Haas F1 Team driver finished eighth fastest overall with a best time of 1:21.676, and says he already has a good feel of the new car, in which he will have just one more test day before the new season starts in earnest in Australia at the end of the month.
“It was a decent day again,” said Magnussen. “We had some good testing. We had a few small issues we dealt with, but it didn’t stop us from running completely.
“All testing is valuable and we got some good mileage. I have a good feeling in the car and we’re happy with the balance. I’m looking forward to the coming days.”
Team Principal Guenther Steiner admitted that the issues were minor but they did cost the team some valuable track time, although the laps they did achieve were extremely important.
“We had a very productive morning. We learned a lot and we managed to get a lot of laps in,” said Steiner. “The afternoon was not as good. Still, we learned things but we had a few small problems, which meant we didn’t get the running in we wanted.
“It’s all part of testing. It’s no big panic. There’s no big issue anywhere. We just had a few small gremlins in the car. We’re learning more about the car, and finding out more things we have to look after.”
