Haas F1 Team‘s Kevin Magnussen is hopeful of increased performance following an engine upgrade the team brought for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
He believes the next outing in Canada, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, will be a good opportunity to “see how it goes” on the long straights.
“It was good to try the new engine. It looks like it’s a lot better and a good upgrade. Let’s see how it goes in Montreal with the long straights,” said Magnussen.
The team will be using the C3, C4, and C5 tyres in Canada, which they ran last time out in Monaco.
“I think Monaco was a good race weekend for us, although the race didn’t go to plan. We were quick all through the weekend. It’s encouraging to have the same compound for the next race.”
After struggling during the Bahrain, China and Baku Grand Prix weekends, Magnussen is confident that the team is making progress.
“We’re making progress in all areas. I still think we’ve got the fastest car of the midfield. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
The Dane was adamant that the race still remains the most important part of a weekend, although qualifying can drastically affect a race.
“No. We’ve seen quite a few races this year where we’ve qualified quite well then didn’t score any points. Race pace is ultimately the points paying factor. We need to focus on that.”
As only four points separate fifth place from ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, Magnussen is determined that the team will increase that gap in the second half of the season.
“Well, I don’t want to look at the standings too much at the moment, but we’re going to try hard to make it look a lot better for the end of the season,” said Magnussen.
