A studious day of testing for Haas
With a total of 153 laps for the Haas drivers over the two practice sessions, the work was constructive, especially as expectations are high for the rest of the Grand Prix in the Principality.
Romain Grosjean: FP1 => 15th (1:15.321 / 32 laps); FP2 => 14th (1:14.022 / 43 laps)
At the end of the first two free practice sessions of the Monaco Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean had a challenging day results-wise, which he prefers to downplay in the Monaco paddock: “It was a pretty tight day and it’s going to be a nice challenge for qualifying.” The Frenchman highlights the small gap between those in the top 10 and those at the Q1 limit: “Between those well established in the top 10 and those at the Q1 limit, it’s a close call. We need to find what’s lacking in the car to have that confidence, that extra performance. If we manage to pinpoint these small details, I’m not worried about having a good qualifying session.”
The native of Geneva details the points on which he will need to find a solution to be 100% confident in the car: I have a car that tends to understeer a lot, I can’t find grip on the front tires, we’ll focus on that and try to make them work a little better, and if that’s the case, we should be fine.
The former Renault and Lotus driver also reflects on the impact of regulations on driving in the Principality: « It’s pretty cool to drive a 2017 Formula 1 car on the streets of Monaco, it’s a bigger challenge than before, the cars are faster, they are wider but, yes, it’s great! ».
Grosjean also spoke about the goal for Saturday afternoon in qualifying, and it is quite clear even if he understands he cannot promise anything: « The top 10 would be great! ».
Kevin Magnussen: FP1 => 13th (1:14.870 / 33 laps); FP2 => 9th (1:13.890 / 45 laps)
Danish driver Kevin Magnussen delivered a more than satisfactory performance by managing to outpace his teammate by approximately 0.4 seconds in the morning tests while having to concede a tightening of the gaps for Free Practice 2.
He thus draws all the positives to look forward to Saturday: « We completed everything that was scheduled, the car behaves quite well and I can’t wait to take part in the qualifying sessions. It’s very fun to drive here this year, I hope we will be competitive for the rest of the weekend ».
From our special correspondent in Monaco
