Kevin Magnussen Q&A: Dutch Grand Prix

The second stop on this triple-header takes Formula 1 back to seaside town of Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix. Have you got any previous experience of driving around Circuit Zandvoort in junior categories, and what are your first thoughts about driving a Formula 1 car around this unique track? 

“I drove around Zandvoort in Formula 3 and also before that in Formula Renault 2.0 and I’ve always loved the track. It’s changed a bit since I last drove there but from what I saw on TV, it still has the same sort of character and is still as exciting.”

 

It’s a high-speed, high-downforce circuit. Do you think this will suit the VF-22 and how do you think it will feel driving this new iteration of Formula 1 car?

“Specifically for the VF-22, I don’t really know, but driving a Formula 1 car around there is going to be awesome. It’s one of those places from back in the seventies and eighties so you really will get a bit of nostalgia driving around there in a Formula 1 car. It’s going to be significant so I’m excited and looking forward to it.”

One of the trademarks features of the race are the two the banked corners. Can you explain the physical impact that has on you and the car, and due to the overtaking opportunities do you think banked corners could be incorporated into other tracks?

“I’m a fan of banked corners. It means you can use different lines much better so you can get out of the wake of the car in front and still go quick through corners and it’s better for close racing and overtaking. With these new cars, I think Zandvoort is going to be one of the tracks where it’s going to become easier to overtake, so we’ll see more like we did in Hungary.”

 

What does this triple-header mean in terms of understanding and optimizing the upgraded package – can you make changes during this time, or is it purely a data gathering opportunity? 

“There was a shutdown of two weeks where no one has been able to work but we should hopefully still be able to take a step in terms of learning, going into the weekend. That’s going to of course continue for the rest of the year like it did with the car we started with – we kept getting more out of it, which was good to see – so I hope we can have the same process with this upgrade and we keep getting more lap time out of it. 

“From a driving perspective, it was pretty transparent. The car felt a little bit different in high-speed corners, but in a good way, so I’m happy with that. I hope that’s going to continue and I expect it to. We still have to keep working on some things, you always have to keep working on everything but it’s going to be interesting to see on tracks that are more high-speed how that’s going to impact the performance.”