Breaking news

Formula 1

Grosjean's single-lap pace "phenomenal" - Magnussen

Kevin Magnussen has credited his former Haas Formula 1 teammate Romain Grosjean with making him a better qualifier as he claimed the Frenchman is "phenomenal on one lap".

Filip Cleeren Luke Smith

Edited: Dec 21, 2020, 7:41 PM

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Romain Grosjean, Haas VF-20

Both Magnussen and Grosjean are leaving the sport after being replaced by rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for the 2021 F1 season.

Magnussen and Grosjean spent four years as each other's teammates at Haas, eventually building a healthy relationship tested by several on-track incidents.

In Abu Dhabi Magnussen paid tribute to his now former colleague, saying Grosjean's "phenomenal" one-lap pace made the Dane a better qualifier.

"I think what I experienced with Romain is an incredibly fast driver on one lap, not that he's not quick in the race, he's super quick in the race as well, but especially in one lap, he is something special," Magnussen said.

"I think having him as a benchmark, especially in qualifying, has really made me a better qualifier. You seriously need to get it right to beat Romain in qualifying.

"It's hard to imagine that anyone can be much quicker than him, because on his day, he is phenomenal on one lap."

Read Also:

Magnussen believes Grosjean is underrated after facing criticism is recent years for being error prone.

"I think F1, it's funny, because Romain has made some mistakes in the last few years that have gained a lot of attention, and I think taken away from him some of the credit he should have been given for his abilities in the car," Magnussen added.

"I think my personal feeling is that there's not a lot of people that can be faster than him on one lap."

After six full-time F1 campaigns, Magnussen will move into sports cars with Chip Ganassi Racing, driving the American team's Cadillac Daytona prototype in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship.

Read Also:

Grosjean is recovering from the burns on his hands, which he sustained during his fiery Bahrain Grand Prix crash and is taking his time to heal and consider his future options in the sport.

Before his accident the 34-year-old was mulling over a potential IndyCar move, but since Bahrain he has admitted he might have to reconsider his plans.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Read also :

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Previous article Red Bull needs to produce all-rounder car in 2021 - Horner

Next article The 'four pillars' that committed Mercedes to F1

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

More from

Filip Cleeren



F1 Brazilian GP: Lando Norris wins in mixed conditions, Mercedes clinch constructors’ title

Formula 1

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

3 h

F1 Brazilian GP: Lando Norris wins in mixed conditions, Mercedes clinch constructors’ title



George Russell's Brazilian GP qualifying fury explained: "Pole was there for the taking"

Formula 1

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

23 h

George Russell's Brazilian GP qualifying fury explained: "Pole was there for the taking"



Why Ferrari must act now after its own 'Papaya Rules' moment

Formula 1

Mexican GP

Why Ferrari must act now after its own 'Papaya Rules' moment

More from

Romain Grosjean



Romain Grosjean apologises to McLaren after controversial, unfounded comments

Formula 1

Formula 1

Spanish GP

Romain Grosjean apologises to McLaren after controversial, unfounded comments



Winners and losers from the IndyCar doubleheader at Milwaukee

IndyCar

IndyCar

Milwaukee Race 2

Winners and losers from the IndyCar doubleheader at Milwaukee



Mick Schumacher and Romain Grosjean talk on pit road after Milwaukee clash

IndyCar

IndyCar

Milwaukee Race 2

Mick Schumacher and Romain Grosjean talk on pit road after Milwaukee clash

Latest news



Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

9 min

Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP



Max Verstappen "needs to understand what happened" after "night and day" F1 comeback in Brazilian GP

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

10 min

Max Verstappen "needs to understand what happened" after "night and day" F1 comeback in Brazilian GP



LIVE: NASCAR Cup season finale at Homestead lap-by-lap updates

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

36 min

LIVE: NASCAR Cup season finale at Homestead lap-by-lap updates



Kyle Larson wins 2026 NASCAR Cup championship with Stage 1 clinch at Homestead

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

41 min

Kyle Larson wins 2026 NASCAR Cup championship with Stage 1 clinch at Homestead

Feature

Discover prime content



"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Stuart Codling

"He really wanted it" – why Russell was furious over aborted Brazil ‘pole’ lap



What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP



How F1’s rules got to be so complex

Formula 1

By Pat Symonds

How F1’s rules got to be so complex



A water park, “not a rock star” and Toto Wolff’s words – Is Kimi Antonelli really a different F1 champion?

Formula 1

By Ronald Vording

A water park, “not a rock star” and Toto Wolff’s words – Is Kimi Antonelli really a different F1 champion?

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts

Subscribe