Kevin Magnussen kicked off Haas F1's second and final week of preseason testing with a solid return to the cockpit of the newly launched VF-17.
The Danish driver hit the 4.655-kilometer circuit shortly after 9 am and nine hours later, he had clocked up a total of 81 laps in what was hailed by the team as another day of consistent running, adding to his 169-lap total from last week's opening round of testing.
Magnussen began the morning with stock reconnaissance runs, venturing out first on the Pirelli P Zero Orange hard tire for an installation lap before switching to White medium tires for five timed stints that totalled 27 laps.
The final hour of the session saw a change to Yellow softs for two more timed outings.
Armed with more grip, Magnussen secured his best time of the day – a 1:21.676 on his 37th lap that placed him eighth among the 13 drivers who took to the track.
“It was a decent day again,” he said. “ We had some good testing. We had a few small issues we dealt with, but it didn't stop us from running completely. All testing is valuable and we got some good mileage. I have a good feeling in the car and we're happy with the balance. I'm looking forward to the coming days.”
Romain Grosjean takes over the Haas VF-17 today with Magnussen returning on Thursday. Grosjean is back in the car on Friday for the fourth and final day of preseason testing.
