Saturday: Magnussen places McLaren in the top 5
Mixed results for McLaren: while Kevin Magnussen confirmed his strong form with a promising fourth-place finish on the starting grid, Jenson Button was less fortunate and stopped in Q2, halted by yellow flags.
Kevin Magnussen (No. 20) – 8th and 4th
The McLaren rookie did not miss his debut, securing a good fourth position in qualifying, which has every reason to make him happy: « I am really happy. It was tough conditions, especially as I had never driven on this track in the wet: it was quite tricky to find the right line and braking points. It was even more difficult than anything I’ve done before! But I don’t think I could have asked for better today. »
Not better, but a little bit since he admits having had the opportunity to be even faster: « I made a mistake and went out on my last lap, so I could have been able to go faster, but I’m still happy. The car is really good, and the team did a fantastic job preparing it. »
For him, the preparation and conditioning work by McLaren is the key to this great performance: « I am proud of myself, but also proud of the whole team for this extremely good preparation work all winter. I always knew what was happening, and I knew the procedures, so it’s clear that they taught me everything well. »
If the race takes place in rainy conditions, the podium seems within reach for the young Dane: « We have to have a good Sunday. I will try to enjoy the moment and do my best: getting on the podium won’t be easy, especially if the track is dry. But if it’s wet, anything can happen, so I hope for a wet Grand Prix. »
Jenson Button (No. 22) – 2nd and 11th [10th on the grid]
The 2009 World Champion does not hide that there was more to hope for him given the conditions: « The rain was, at the start, good for me: I had the tires in very good condition for my lap, but I was happy with my first stint in Q2. The car seemed very good, too: I was the fastest when I did my lap, and I was in the top 10 until the end. But, unfortunately, I couldn’t do my last stint with the new tires because I got caught in the yellow flags in turn 3. »
He expects his luck to change tomorrow: « In wet conditions, I think we had a very good chance of qualifying closer to the front, because our car isn’t as fast in the dry. Not getting into the top 10 was pure bad luck, but I hope I won’t be as unlucky tomorrow. »
