Kevin Magnussen and Renault are happy with their respective returns to Formula One after the conclusion of the first test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
In his second day in the car, the Danish driver set a lap time of 1:25.263 to go fourth fastest in a session where he completed 153 laps. He managed to get through a programme which included aero logging, set-up work and a full race simulation that included pit stops.
After the session, Magnussen summed up his feelings about being back behind the wheel: “I certainly have had a workout over the last couple of days with over 260 laps completed! It feels so good to be back in an F1 car and working through the programme and making strong progress.
“Our race simulation went well and I’m really gelling with the team; it’s a real pleasure to be driving here and I can’t wait to get back in the car on Tuesday.”
Frederic Vasseur, the Racing Director of Renault, said: “This has been a productive first test for us. The initial R.S.16 planning meetings took place at the end of September last year so it’s clear that everyone at Enstone and Viry-Châtillon has made a tremendous effort to produce it and facilitate the performance we’ve seen today and this week.”
“Jolyon [Palmer] and Kevin have demonstrated themselves to be an accomplished and hungry pair of drivers. With the mileage accumulated over the last two days, we have a good baseline. We have a lot of work yet to do, but it’s a solid start to the season.”
Magnussen is set to take part in the first two days of the second test next week before Palmer takes over for the final two days of testing before the Australian Grand Prix.
