Kevin Magnussen says he was happy with his performance during Friday practice at the Shanghai International Circuit, with the Haas F1 Team racer ending both sessions seventh fastest overall.
The Dane set a best time 1.179 seconds down on pacesetter Lewis Hamilton during the morning session, but improved to finish just 0.976 seconds back in the afternoon session, and after a morale-boosting fifth place finish last weekend, he has high hopes of another strong performance this weekend.
Magnussen admits there is still work to do in regards to tyre management, particularly on the Ultrasoft tyre that is likely to be the starting tyre on Sunday, but overall he is pleased with the start the team has made in China.
“It was a good day for us – another good Friday,” said Magnussen. “I’m happy with what we’ve seen.
“We need to work a bit on tyre management, especially for the first stint on the Ultrasoft, but then I think everyone’s struggling a little bit. Let’s see what happens. The team’s doing a good job. The car’s behaving well.
“It’s performing at a good level. I’m happy. I had a good feeling in the car.”
Team principal Guenther Steiner was pleased with how the VF-18 handled in Magnussen’s hands, feeling the whole day saw a solid performance from the Dane.
“FP1 went very well. It was very solid, FP2 as well – Kevin was solid,” said Steiner. “We learned a lot and did all our testing.”
