Kevin Magnussen took advantage of his red supersoft tyres and their superior grip to claw his way up to eighth in the Chinese Grand Prix, and felt that he would have continued to climb had the time not ran out.
Following a mediocre start, Magnussen changed from the intermediates tyres on the second lap and managed to push from that moment onwards, keeping himself in the fight.
“It was a good race,” he said. “I had fun out there. I had a good car all the way through the race.
“I’d made a really poor start, so to come back from that and push, I was really happy.”
Haas F1 Team secured a double finish, though Romain Grosjean was out of the points in eleventh. They can at least take comfort from the reliability shown by their car, and the tyre management demonstrated by their drivers.
“The car’s been good today,” he continued. “I was able to look after the front tires, which I think was key, along with working with the team to get the car in the right window.
“The race was really well managed from the team. It was good strategy to get me out on the supersoft after the intermediates.”
Following a lacklustre overtaking display in Melbourne, the Chinese Grand Prix delivered a race where the total passes was in the double figures. This shows that the new compounds do deliver less degradation and an increase grip, affording the drivers more confidence on the track to push harder and overtake off the racing line.
“You had to fight for it, in terms of passing,” he said. “It’s not easy, but you also have grip, so you can take different lines and get close in alternative ways. It’s so much more fun when you’re fighting in the points.”
“I’m happy for the team and we’re looking forward to the coming races.”
