Kevin Magnussen says past performance in Singapore isn’t indicative of future results given the challenging nature of the Marina Bay venue.
The Haas driver has two career starts in Singapore and finished in the points each time. While he undoubtedly appreciates the race, he’s still wary of the unique demands imposed on drivers on a street circuit which leaves no margin for error.
“I think it’s a cool track, fun to drive. It’s pretty difficult to overtake, but fun nonetheless,” says the Dane.
“It’s pretty tough. It’s very hot and humid. It’s probably one of the hardest races. It goes on for the two-hour limit nearly all the time.
“It’s a tough race with so many corners – you don’t really get any breaks. There’s not a lot of straights to relax. It goes on for a long time, so your fatigue affects your mental performance as well.”
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Singapore is one of only three nights races on the F1 calendar, but it’s also the original night race. Yet the event’s special atmosphere doesn’t make much of a difference for Magnussen.
“It doesn’t really make a big difference,” he says.
“You don’t notice it so much. It’s cool. It looks nice. It’s not something that a driver really thinks about. It looks cool on television. The cars look a lot shinier and spectacular.”
The 24-year-old won’t go out on a limb and predict his performance next weekend as uncertainly prevails when it comes to how Haas’ VF-17 chassis wil cope with the low-downforce, bumpy track.
“I don’t really have a lot of success in guessing our performance beforehand. I usually get it wrong. I’ll go there and see how we get on.”
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