Kevin Magnussen Q&A: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Round 8 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship takes Haas F1 Team to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Going from one tight street circuit to one with another very tight and twisty section, does it help preparations at all?

“They’re very different circuits but there is some carry over from every race. Baku is a lovely track, very unique with long straights and all the slow corners – I’m looking forward to it.”

 

There are two DRS sections and a very long main-straight – is this going to be a race where we see a lot of action like we did last season? What are your previous memories from racing in Baku?

“There’s always a lot of action in Baku – there’s a high risk of going off and having yellow flags, safety cars etc. Historically, there’s been a lot of safety cars and red flags. It always feels like there is extra opportunity in Baku than perhaps the average race.”

You achieved your best finish here in 2017 with seventh place. How do you think the VF-22 will fare and what should fans be looking out for this weekend? 

“I hope it’s going to be good – long straights, we’ve got a good engine from Ferrari so I’m not anticipating any problems. It’s a power-centric track with all the long straights there and power is very important.”

 

After effectively having a year off last year, how are you feeling getting into the rhythm, we’re almost a third of the way through the season now, and most importantly, how’s the neck training coming along? 

“I’m loving it, living the dream. The schedule is one that I’m very used to, the last eight years I’ve been on this schedule. Last year was an outlier, I had a lot of time on my hands, and I enjoyed that – I had a great time – but it’s also nice to be back in a schedule that I’m used to. It’s very busy of course, but it’s a lot of fun.”