Kevin Magnussen admits McLaren’s expectations are low for early 2015 after finishing bottom of the pre-season timesheets in testing.
The Dane will deputise in Melbourne for the man who took his race seat at the Woking squad this season following Fernando Alonso’s crash during testing that resulted in the Spaniard suffering concussion and temporary memory loss.
Magnussen set McLaren’s fastest time of pre-season, but the time was still nearly 2.5 seconds slower than Mercedes on the same tyres. Worryingly for McLaren, it is thought the Silver Arrows were still hiding their true pace, whereas Magnussen admits he was running on low fuel.
“I didn’t get as many laps as I thought I’d get. I would have got a maximum of 150 laps in a day if everything runs perfectly, but I got nearly 40 laps and nearly all of them were low fuel so at least I am pretty prepared for that,” Magnussen said in the FIA Drivers’ Press Conference for the season-opening Australian GP.
“I haven’t felt the car on high fuel yet so it will be interesting to see how it feels, but I have driven race cars before, it is not a completely different thing. It is a different car, but it should be okay.”
Kevin Magnussen signs autographs for the fans in Melbourne
Given McLaren’s unreliability woes with their new Honda power unit, even getting to the finish in Australia would represent an achievement with the MP4-30 failing to complete a race simulation during testing.
“I would say quite low,” Magnussen said of the team’s expectations for early 2015.
“We are obviously struggling with reliability and making the car run for a long time, but also this is a new start for McLaren and it is going to take time. But it is the right direction that the team has decided to go and I think it has a bright future ahead of it. It is going to take time, but I am sure they will get there.”
Alonso is aiming to return to the cockpit for the Malaysian Grand Prix in two weeks, but Magnussen has had little interaction with the Spaniard.
“I haven’t been in contact with him, only on Twitter when he said ‘good luck’ and I said ‘thanks’, he revealed. “I haven’t asked him how he is feeling, I hear he is going well. I am just focussing on this race and wishing him all the best.”
And Magnussen admits he has been giving no indication if he will be required to race at Sepang: “You’ll have to wait. I am not the right person to ask, I don’t know.”
The fastest lap by each team during the two Barcelona tests
Sky Sports F1 will be broadcasting every race in 2015, starting with live and exclusive coverage of the Australian GP on March 15. The race starts at 5am UK Time on Sunday.
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