Ready to return to victory lane after Hungaroring heartbreak

 After suffering a heartbreaking gearbox issue while leading the last World Series by Renault FR 3.5 race in Hungary, Danish star Kevin Magnussen has his sights set on bouncing back to the top step of the podium this weekend at Paul Ricard in France.

The McLaren Young Driver Development Programme racer qualified second in both races at the Hungaroring and was comfortably leading in Sundays race when he ground to a halt in turn five on his final lap.

While pleased with his points haul from finishing second in the Saturday race, the Carlin Motorsport racer is looking forward to returning to victory lane in France to add to his previous series victory from Spa-Francorchamps earlier this season.

Magnussen climbed a spot to seventh in the point standings in Hungary but the 25 points lost from the Sunday misfortune would have pushed him up to fourth in the Formula Renault 3.5 championship.

Magnussen, Carlin Motorsport and the World Series by Renault teams tested the new-for-2012 Formula Renault 3.5 car at Paul Ricard earlier this year in March.

The last two rounds of the championship - Paul Ricard and the final round in Barcelona - are two venues where the series conducted pre-season testing.

Saturday and Sundays races at Paul Ricard can be seen live on Eurosport.

KEVIN MAGNUSSEN Q&AQ: Despite the disappointment of race two in Hungary, were you pleased with your pace?

A: Hungary was a great weekend overall and I was very happy with the pace of the car and how we did in qualifying and the races.  Obviously it was a big disappointment to us that the gearbox failed in the last lap of the second race, especially as we were winning by a lot.

I was in turn five when the gearbox broke and only had a few corners to go to win the race.  In a way, if something had to break, it was nice that it happened at the end of the raceI think that everyone saw that we were very strong and I would have won it.

But these things happen and you need to look at the positiveswe were very good and should be in a position for success at the next event at Paul Ricard. 

Q: Have you spent much time at Paul Ricard?

A: I did a race in British F3 last year at the track and this year we did some winter testing there.  I know the circuit quite well.   

As for testing this past winter, it was a shakedown testthe first test of the car.  There were a lot of issues in the beginning, but they worked out and we had good pace. Im quite confident that we have a good car and we should be able to fight for position again this round.

Q: What are your thoughts about the circuit?

A: It is not as interesting a place because there are no gravel trapsits just one big tarmac circuit.  If you go off track, not much happens to you.

At Paul Ricard you can drive a car to its limits.  If you get your lines right, you will do well.  That is a reason why so many people like it for testing. 

We can win at Paul Ricard and thats very important.  We need a good result and to have a strong weekend, get the best out of every situation and score as many points as possible.

Q: So do you prefer old-style circuits where if you make a mistake it can be more costly?

A: Its not like I want to get hurt, but those circuits do demand your respect as a driver.  Its also a lot more challenging because its harder to drive your car at its limits. 

There is a reason why people love street circuits like Macau, Monaco and Surfers Paradise.  Youve got to be very precise because of the walls being so close and the bumpiness of the track.  But there are sometimes where even in the simulator these circuits can be boringthere is no consequence for doing something wrong, unlike in real life.

Ricard is a different kind of challenge.

Q: How competitive have you found the World Series by Renault Formula 3.5 Series, in comparison to the racing youve done before?

A: Its a big step up and the toughest championship Ive ever experienced.

The drivers are very good and experienced and have won big races and championships in F3 and GP2.  It is a very strong field.

I think that this year, partially because of the new car, consistency has been incredibly important.  When weve finished the races, we have almost always finished on the podium.  But we didnt finish some races, which is the biggest problem.

Look at the leader of the championship [Robin Frijns].  Hes finishing races and scoring points, even when he didnt have the pace to win.  Thats what we havent done this season. 

We have had some bad luck and some other issues, but we know we can learn from these things and do better.  We have the pace, and we will get the consistency to finish out the 2012 season strong.

Paul Ricard ScheduleFormula Renault 3.5 Series

Friday, September 28

09:50 - 10:05: Formula Renault 3.5 Series Test

14:45 - 16:00: Formula Renault 3.5 Series Test

Saturday, September 29

08:25 - 08:55: Formula Renault 3.5 Series Qualifying

12:00: Formula Renault 3.5 Series Race 1 (44 mins  +1 lap)          

Sunday, September 30

10:10 - 10:30: Formula Renault 3.5 Series Qualifying              

15:40: Formula Renault 3.5 Series Race 2  (44 mins  +1 lap)             

Formula Renault 3.5 SeriesPoints Standings

166Robin Frijns142Jules Bianchi139Sam Bird101Marco Sorensen94Arthur Pic92Nick Yelloly76Kevin Magnussen73Antonio Felix Da Costa 68Nico Muller55Kevin Korjus

FORMULA RENAULT 3.5 CALENDAR

September 2930: Paul Ricard, FranceOctober 2021: Barcelona, Spain