Sunday: McLaren puts Magnussen and Button on the podium

Kevin Magnussen (No. 20) – 2nd (after Ricciardo’s disqualification)

The young McLaren rookie was all smiles after his first Formula 1 race: « It’s fantastic to be on the podium! For my first Formula 1 race of my career, being on the podium is incredible. The car was fantastic today, I could place it exactly where I wanted and I was able to fight with the Red Bull. I got the green light to try and overtake Daniel, but I didn’t have enough speed to do it. »

With this great performance, the Danish driver wishes to thank his team and remains cautious for the future: « I want to congratulate the team that did a very good job during the winter and worked very hard to prepare me for this result, it’s great! We must continue to progress and I am sure we will do it. Malaysia is a completely different circuit and there’s no guarantee that we will be as competitive there, but I’m sure the team will be at 100% as they have been so far. I am very happy and the team must certainly be thrilled to be in first position in the Constructors’ standings tonight. It’s very encouraging and the guys deserve this result. »

Jenson Button (n°22) – 3rd (after Ricciardo’s disqualification)

Kevin drove very well. I took a lot of pleasure in chasing him and Daniel (Ricciardo) at the end of the race, but my tires had more laps than theirs. I had a good race, but the car’s balance wasn’t very good when I was in traffic. I was unsettled by disturbances when I was behind a car, but the car worked very well when the track was clear.

Button did not gain positions on the track and thanks his team for their efficiency during pit stops: « For some reasons, it seems more difficult to overtake than before, so we had to do it during the pit stops (…). The team did a great job putting me in the right place at the right time. When the Safety Car came out on the track, I dived into the pits at the last moment, which gained me a few places. I also gained a few places during the second stop. »

Just like his teammate, Button is very satisfied: “We can be very proud of the work done today. We did not expect to lead the constructors’ standings at the end of this weekend. When the track is clear, we have the car to beat all the teams except one. I can’t wait to be back behind the wheel in Malaysia.”