Magnussen wanted more

Editor 24 May 2014 5:08 PM

Kevin Magnussen will start his first-ever F1 grand prix in Monaco eighth on the grid but says he’s not entirely happy with that.

On a day when most left the track wanting more, McLaren rookie Magnussen put in a solid display to book a place in Q3, something his more experienced team-mate Jenson Button failed to do.

Posting a 1:17.555 in Q3, Magnussen will start Sunday’s 78-lap grand prix from eighth on the grid.

The 21-yer-old, though, had hoped for better.

“I’m not completely happy to be starting eighth, but we pretty much got the best out of what we had; maybe seventh would have been possible – at a push,” said the Dane.

“It’s always a challenge to hook up the perfect lap around here – and it never really feel like you succeed. This is a street circuit, and it’s bumpy, with barriers and walls right at the apex, so you make little mistakes and corrections, and always feel like you could have got a little closer to the barriers.

“Nonetheless, the car felt really good – it’s just frustrating when you see the lap times, because it feels like we should be higher up.

“We can be reasonably happy with today. Tomorrow, we need a good launch, a good first lap, and to stay out of trouble – then maybe we can score some solid points.”