McLaren – Boullier: “Magnussen is impressive”
Kevin Magnussen, a young 21-year-old hopeful, will make his big debut in Formula 1 during the Australian Grand Prix - from March 14 to 16. Eric Boullier was impressed by the Dane at McLaren.
One of the attractions of the 2014 season will undoubtedly be Kevin Magnussen. The young Danish hopeful was propelled during the off-season behind the wheel of the McLaren MP4-29, having just emerged fresh and polished from the Formula Renault 3.5 where he won the 2013 Championship title. A significant promotion for him, which does not seem to pose too many problems, according to Eric Boullier, the competition director of the British team.
« Surprisingly, you can feel that he is already truly at home. He is still a little shy perhaps when it comes to expressing his feedback, but it’s going well, » the Frenchman explains to our British colleagues from Autosport.
The 2014 season will see the number of parameters to manage from the cockpit soar. A situation that Kevin Magnussen is gradually learning to master: « There are a lot of [technical] parameters, and he’s handling them very intelligently. He doesn’t delve too deeply into the details at the moment because he doesn’t want to get lost in aero strategy or tire management. He’s doing well. It’s a different story compared to drivers in the past who had a lot of mileage under their belt. »
His performances during winter testing were noticed, especially his top speed. An asset, certainly, but one that is no longer enough to reach the heights of modern F1: « For a young driver, who has just spent a few days in an F1 car, he is very impressive. He is consistent but obviously, you have the usual problems with tire management for a kid like him, because they are used to a different world where they can attack throughout the race. »
Tire management, which was an essential parameter in 2012 and 2013, will retain its importance this season and the situation in this regard will remain the same! Here, you need to be a bit more careful with the tires if you want them to last long enough during your stint. That’s what he has to learn, but he’s doing very well.
Kevin Magnussen is not the only driver Eric Boullier discovered since Jenson Button has never worked with the former Lotus F1 director. However, the Frenchman knows that the 2009 World Champion is a point of reference for McLaren: « I don’t know him very well, but he is a very established leader, which is good for the team. They have someone who can make decisions, give good feedback, and tell them exactly what he needs. »
