Barcelona Test No. 2: Day 1 Recap

Haas F1 Team driver Kevin Magnussen started the second and final week of preseason testing at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya with a solid return to the cockpit of the Haas VF-17. Magnussen hit the 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn track shortly after 9 a.m. local time. Nine hours later, Magnussen had put up 81 laps in another day of consistent running, adding to his 169-lap total from last week’s opening round of testing.

Magnussen began the morning session with stock reconnaissance runs, venturing out first on the Pirelli P Zero Orange hard tire for an installation lap before switching to White medium tires for five timed stints that totaled 27 laps. The final hour of the session saw a change to Yellow softs for two more timed outings. Armed with more grip, Magnussen secured his best time of the day – a 1:21.676 on his 37th lap that placed him eighth among the 13 drivers who took to the track.

Haas F1 Team produced 33 laps in the afternoon session with Magnussen picking up where he left off in the morning, operating once more on Yellow softs. He followed this up with two timed runs on the Red supersoft compound before closing out the day on a used set of softs.

Williams’ Felipe Massa set the quickest time (1:19.726) and tied with Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel for the most laps (168).

“It was a decent day again. 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.”

“We had a very productive morning. We learned a lot and we managed to get a lot of laps in. 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.”

Romain Grosjean takes over the Haas VF-17 Wednesday with Magnussen returning on Thursday. Grosjean is back in the car on Friday for the fourth and final day of preseason testing.

The 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship season begins with the Australian Grand Prix March 26 in Melbourne. Practice begins March 24, qualifying is March 25 and the race runs March 26.