Magnussen laments ‘disappointing’ qualifying crash

2014 Hungarian Grand Prix

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Kevin Magnussen says he is disappointed after losing control of his McLaren in slippery conditions in qualifying and hitting the barrier.

The rookie locked up under braking for the first corner as rain began to fall during the start of the final qualifying session, suffering heavy damage after striking the outside tyre wall.

As a result of the crash, Magnussen will be forced to start tomorrow’s race from the pitlane as McLaren have been forced to change to a new chassis and gearbox.

“I just hit the wall,” explained Magnussen. “The track was much wetter at the first corner than it was at the last corner. As I came out of the final turn, there was full grip, so I braked for Turn One at the normal braking point, but it was much wetter.

“Physically, I’m fine but I’m sad that I didn’t get more out of it,” Magnussen added.

“I’m most disappointed for the team, I think we could’ve got another decent qualifying result. Now, we just need to get on with it – starting from the pitlane will make life more difficult, but I’m determined to have a strong race.

“I’m just very disappointed to have made that mistake.”

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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17 comments on “Magnussen laments ‘disappointing’ qualifying crash”

  1. I blame McLaren mechanics. They’re somehow to blame for the rain.

      1. @mashiat Sorry.. I felt it might be worth using the same senseless argument as “Hamilton’s mechanics are intentionally harming his car.”

        1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
          26th July 2014, 17:38

          @neiana Great and wise comment dude!!! +1

          1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
            26th July 2014, 17:40

            And please add to the same line the silly comments some people say about Vettel’s car being boycotted by his team. (I’m a serious Vettel fan, but the guy is being slapped by Ricciardo, bar today’s quali and last race… Maybe Vettel is getting on grips with the car at last!!! Let’s cross fingers)

    1. I blame Mercedes mechanics. They must have been confused by all the silver in McLaren’s paint job and set off sprinklers at the side of the track to make the area of the first turn wet.

  2. He’ll start from the pitlane, it’s confirmed.

  3. interesting this was a headline article….. in any sense it was unlucky, the rain seemed to he fallen most at the end of the main straight.

  4. Pit lane is going to be busy tomorrow.

  5. Call me awfully late but I’ve just realised how similar McLaren’s current livery is to their West era livery (well, even closer to their 2006 livery actually, but that only lasted a year…..)

  6. Graham (@guitargraham)
    26th July 2014, 17:41

    terrible luck. from the on board you could see that as soon soon as he went over that brow the track was shiny. i’m surprised we didnt have more people join him in that tyre wall

    1. @guitargraham

      Rosberg and Button so nearly joined him.

      Rosberg caught the situation fast, and I think button would have reacted to seeing Kevin crash in front of him.

  7. Neil (@neilosjames)
    26th July 2014, 19:00

    Might prove quite a problem for Hamilton, actually. Won’t want a straight-line quick McLaren in his way right at the start as he’s trying to get through the field…

  8. In which order will Magnussen and Hamilton line up in the pit lane?

    1. Magnussen in front of Hamilton, exactly as I thought. MAG made it to Q2, while HAM did not even set a time in this Quali, so HAM would have started dead last no matter what the others did. HAM is last on the grid at the moment.

      1. @corrado-dub

        Grid-wise, Pastor is last, because he conked out before Lewis.
        But, if Kevin and Lewis start from the Pitlane, then yes… Lewis will be last.

  9. Seems to me that Magnussen must have seen Rosberg slip into the runoff area just ahead of him, and could have reacted by braking earlier. Guess it wasn’t obvious that moisture on the track was the reason.

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