Kevin Magnussen has revealed he and Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg have adopted a policy of “being nice to each other” on track rather than engaging in an outright duel.
The duo were involved in exchanges during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix before greater pace from Magnussen allowed him to set off in pursuit of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda for a place in the top 10.
The Dane managed to execute a fine overtake on lap 46 of the 50-lap race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to clinch Haas’ first point of the year, which he said “means a lot”, with Hulkenberg taking the chequered flag in 12th.
“After the first lap, we don’t really want to get in each other’s way,” said Magnussen. “It’s kind of finding out who has more pace.
“He got past me, then I’m quicker, then we were just the same pace, and then you get DRS all the time, so at one point you have to make a decision.
“At Haas, we have a policy where we don’t fight each other. I can push to try and keep him behind but I can’t sort of close the door and stuff like that.
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“So it’s kind of just being nice to each other and making sure that we are working for the team and not for ourselves.”
Magnussen finds a groove
Magnussen’s top-10 finish was aided by the fact he finally found a degree of comfort in the car he had not experienced prior to qualifying.
“We didn’t start the weekend on the right foot – it feels like we didn’t start the season on the right foot!” assessed Magnussen.
“I really struggled in Friday practice but it seemed like we really turned things around and found the groove for qualifying.
“I found something I really like, so I hope we can carry that on, and I hope we can prove that we’ve learned something.”
Asked by Speedcafe as to exactly what had been discovered, he replied: “It’s just set-up, mechanical.
“It (the car) didn’t really suit my driving style, how we started the season, but I think we have found some new ideas as to how I like it better.
“We’ve proved it a little bit (in Jeddah) but it has to be verified a little more. It’s not actually that big but it just means a lot to the way I drive in terms of the feeling.”
Magnussen tyre worries eased
Haas also managed to ease the tyre degradation issues that led to a difficult opening race in Bahrain where Magnussen and Hulkenberg were off the pace in 13th and 15th.
The more abrasive surface at the Bahrain International Circuit, compared to the street track in Jeddah, played a part.
Magnussen, however, could sense a noticeable difference, adding: “I was anxious to see how we would do.
“I was a little worried that we’d have more degradation, like in Bahrain, because there it looked like we had a real issue. On this track, it seemed like it was better.
“We’ll go back to tracks that are harder on the tyres again, and then we’ll see if we’ve actually made progress.”
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