McLaren: Magnussen Like Grosjean for Boullier
For Eric Boullier, Kevin Magnussen is in a logical learning phase, and he compares this situation to the one he experienced at Renault/Lotus with Romain Grosjean, in particular.
Surprise of the very first race of the season, where he climbed to the second step of the podium, Kevin Magnussen has since fallen back in the ranks, due to an aerodynamically challenged McLaren MP4-29. After Melbourne, the Danish driver could do no better than a 9th place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix. In Bahrain, he suffered a clutch failure, and in China, he finished out of the points in 13th position.
For Eric Boullier, the race director of the Woking team, this beginning of the season is logical and is an integral part of a young driver’s learning phase: It reminds me of my experience with Grosjean and Petrov. They went through the same process and it’s part, let’s say, of the learning curve, unfortunately, he explained to F1Fanatic.co.uk.
« They need experience, they need to be able to understand the car. Setting up an F1 car is much more complicated than in lower categories. » He acknowledges that, like Grosjean with the Renault R29 in 2009 and Vitaly Petrov with the Renault R31 in 2011, having a tricky car is not ideal for starting one’s career: « So, it’s just a learning stage. And it doesn’t help when the car is difficult to drive like today. » A car that might, however, benefit from notable upgrades starting from the return to Europe.
Kevin Magnussen, as a matter of fact, spoke on Twitter about the last three Grand Prix: « The last races have been very difficult for us. But those moments make you stronger. And those moments make you even hungrier for victory. I’m happy to be with McLaren, and we will fight to come back even stronger. »
On another subject, the Dane was questioned by AS to see if he would like to have Fernando Alonso as a teammate, following the persistent rumor linking the Spaniard to McLaren from 2015 and the arrival of the Honda engine. For him, Jenson Button is the ideal teammate in his situation as an apprentice driver: « I have no idea. The truth is, I am happy at the moment. I think having someone like Jenson – open, who speaks very good English, who knows how to explain things and is very experienced and fast – is ideal. I couldn’t ask for a better teammate. »
