Haas F1 Barcelona test 1, day 1 review 19.02.2020: Date: Wednesday, February 19 Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn circuit Driver: Kevin Magnussen Laps: 106 laps Distance: 493.43 kilometers (306.552 miles) Best Lap Time: 1:18.466 (14th ove

Date: Wednesday, February 19
Location: Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Spain
Layout: 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn circuit
Driver: Kevin Magnussen
Laps: 106 laps
Distance: 493.43 kilometers (306.552 miles)
Best Lap Time: 1:18.466 (14th overall)
Fastest Lap: 1:16.976 by Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes
Most Laps: 168 laps by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing
   

   

Kevin Magnussen was first up behind the wheel of the Haas F1 Team VF-20 on the opening day of Formula One pre-season testing Wednesday at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya.



Having officially unveiled the Ferrari-powered VF-20 before the waiting media at 8 a.m. local time, one hour later Magnussen exited the garage sharp as the track opened and testing commenced – the first of six scheduled test days over the next two weeks at the Spanish circuit.



When the checkered flag dropped nine hours later Magnussen had recorded 106 laps around the 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile) track. Wednesday’s lap total marks the highest number of laps ever recorded by a Haas F1 Team car on the opening day of pre-season testing, the previous best set last season when Romain Grosjean logged 65 laps in the VF-19. Magnussen’s best time on the VF-20’s debut was a 1:18.466.



Morning running totaled 55 laps with a focus on signing off components and working on the balance of the car. The afternoon plan focused on gaining additional mileage and test items for reliability. Magnussen added 51 laps to his morning tally.



Romain Grosjean takes over the VF-20 on Thursday before both drivers share driving duties on Friday.
   


     


   
KEVIN MAGNUSSEN

“I feel good – but tired, as it was a long day, but that’s a positive thing. We got lots of running in, that’s what we needed for the first day just to get to know the car. It felt good, but it’s always difficult to tell whether you’re competitive or not, but at least the feeling was good in the car even though it’s early days.


We had a tight test plan for the day, we got most of it done, I think we just missed one run. It’s going to be interesting to get Romain (Grosjean) in the car tomorrow and see what his feedback is with the set-up changes planned and the various things we throw at the car.”
   


     
GUENTHER STEINER

   
“It was a good day of testing today, we’ve completed a lot of laps – more than 100. We got through almost all of the program we had planned, we just missed out a little bit. We’ve gathered a lot of data and now we need to go through it. We’ll work through the next days to understand the car, then we try to go fast.”
   


     


Stuart Morrison- photos HAAS