Magnussen wary of Baku but still hopeful for points

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Kevin Magnussen says Baku likely won't be favourable terrain for Haas, but the Dane is still hoping for a haul of points next week in Azerbaijan.

The fourth round of the 2019 championship will be F1's second street race of the year after Melbourne where Haas showed good speed.

However, Baku's layout offers few things in common with Albert Park, so a carryover of the form Haas enjoyed in Australia is unlikely according to Magnussen.

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"I think they’re two very different tracks," said the Dane.

"Baku is a low-downforce track with very long straights, slow corners, and quite low grip from the track.

"It’s going to be interesting to see how we go there. I don’t anticipate it to be our strongest circuit of the year, but I’m still positive we can go there and fight for points."

Baku's 6.003km, 20-turn track is characterized by its two long straights attached to each other by medium-speed and slow corners.

Magnussen isn't sure the aero package introduced this year in F1 and which theoretically allows for cars to follow each other more easily will have a significant impact next weekend.

"I don’t know if this year’s new aero package will do too much," he admits.

"Maybe the bigger DRS will mean that you’ll get easier overtaking, which was already easy in Baku. So, we’ll see how that goes.

"I don’t know if the DRS zones have been shortened, but maybe they should be as I think in Baku the difference would be very, very big between DRS and non-DRS.

"Baku always offers a great race with lots of action, so we’re looking forward to going there."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.