F1 TESTING REVS UP
Magnussen returns at top speed to replace Russian racer
KEVIN Magnussen said it felt like “I hadn’t been away” after making an eye-catching return to Formula One on Saturday when he topped the times in pre-season testing in Bahrain, just 48 hours after replacing Nikita Mazepin at Haas.
Magnussen, dropped by Haas last season, signed a multi-year contract to take over from the Russian driver who was sacked following his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
And the 29-year-old Dane showed no signs of ring rustiness in his first day in a F1 car in over a year as he set the fastest lap of 1min 33.207sec in the more favourable cooler conditions of early evening at the Sakhir circuit.
As the other teams were bedding their cars down for the night with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz setting the quickest time, Haas were allowed an extra hour due to freight delays which saw them miss Friday’s first session.
“It was so good to be back in a Formula 1 car and so good to be back with the team,” said Magnussen.
His late late show triggered a Twitter dig from Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson who races now in IndyCars but spent four seasons in F1 with Caterham and Sauber from 20142019.
“A month ago Kmag tested @IndyCar at Sebring and was slowest. Now first day back in F1 and he’s fastest. Must mean @IndyCar is a lot harder and more competitive then @F1. Clearly settles that discussion once and for all,” Ericsson posted.
Before Magnussen struck it was Sainz for Ferrari who had ad cut a dash on the second day y of testing with Red Bull’s world champion Max
Verstappen leading the chasing pack almost half a second slower.
Lance Stroll for Aston Martin came next ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes which with its radical “no sidepods’’ design has been the talk of the paddock. Sidepods are designed to direct air inside the car, keeping the engine cool.
Remarks attributed to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner from a German magazine on Thursday appeared to question the legality of the German constructors’ 2022 car.
But at Friday’s press conference Horner hailed Mercedes “innovative” interpretation of the new technical rules, insisting that “the comments quoted certainly weren’t made”.
“As far as we are concerned the Mercedes car looks like it complies with the regulations, just a different interpretation, different solution,” he said.
“It’s an interesting concept, it’s a radical concept. So it is quick or not, only time will tell, but in terms of compliance, it’s very much an FIA matter.”
Hamilton’s Hami new teammate George Russell, meanwhile, suggested that Ferrari were looking “globally
the strongest team”.