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Haas after super Friday in Spain: 'Especially a lot of grip over one lap'

Haas after super Friday in Spain: 'Especially a lot of grip over one lap'

03-06-2023 06:50 Last update: 09:09

The Haas F1 Team with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel had one of the strongest Fridays the team has ever had in Spain. FP1 and FP2 in preparation for the Spanish GP were completed with fast times, and both drivers are hoping to get a good result this weekend.

Magnussen notices how close it is

In FP1, it was Magnussen who carried the flag for the team. At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Dane ended FP1 with an impressive P7 to his name. AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries was also quick then, suggesting that the rest of the teams were still taking it easy. In a press statement, Magnussen said, "Today was fun. The new layout is pretty much full-on. It's a good change."

"FP1 was very good for us, we tried something that didn’t work in FP2, but Nico was fast, so we know the speed is in the car [...] It’s super tight, I was P15 and seven-tenths off P1." Indeed, FP2 showed how close the field is, also showing that Haas are fast in Spain, as teammate Hulkenberg finished FP2 with the third fastest time.

Hulkenberg fast over one lap

Hulkenberg: "It felt decent, especially that lap on new softs, it gives you a lot of grip over one lap. Particularly in FP2, I think we picked up some performance which wasn’t quite there earlier. I’m satisfied with how it’s gone and hope we can keep it up for the next two days." Hulkenberg was exactly one-tenth slower than Fernando Alonso on P2 and a good two-tenths slower than Max Verstappen. Over one lap, Haas could do just fine during qualifying on Saturday.

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says: "It was a good start to the weekend today. In FP1, we tested the new tire which will be used at Silverstone to get some
experience and data but otherwise, pretty good running. Obviously, with Nico reaching P3 in FP2, it’s good, but we all know that qualifying is tomorrow and the race is on Sunday."