Kevin Magnussen took his first laps for Haas F1 Team on Monday at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya. The 24-year-old from Roskilde, Denmark, hit the track promptly at 9 a.m. local time and was the first driver to tour the 4.655-kilometer (2.89-mile), 16-turn track. When the day was complete, Magnussen had racked up 51 laps behind the wheel of the Ferrari-powered Haas VF-17 to log 237.405 kilometers (147.517 miles).
Magnussen’s best time was a 1:22.894, earned on his 44th lap with a new set of Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tires. The quick time put the third-year Formula One pilot fourth among the 11 drivers participating in the opening day of testing.
Magnussen began the morning session with a series of reconnaissance runs, first using the Pirelli P Zero Orange hard tire before transitioning to the Pirelli P Zero White medium tire. His best time in the morning was a 1:26.404, secured on his penultimate lap in the session. His final lap involved a spin in turn 10 that pitched the nose of the Haas VF-17 into the barrier, breaking the nose. The rest of the car was unharmed and Magnussen was able to drive it back to the garage, whereupon the team replaced the nose during the lunch break.
Four separate runs were made in the afternoon session, with Magnussen using the White mediums for stints of nine laps and five laps, respectively, before a switch to the Yellow softs in the final hour of testing. With the softs affording the most grip, it was no surprise that Magnussen secured his fastest time of the day.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton set the day’s quickest time (1:21.765) and Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel ran the most laps (128). |
