F1: Magnussen On Top In Abu Dhabi Test

Formula 1

F1: Magnussen On Top In Abu Dhabi Test

Kevin Magnussen led Tuesday's opening day of the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test in a McLaren...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted November 06, 2012 Abu Dhabi (ARE)

Kevin Magnussen was quickest out of the gate at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test. (Photo: Getty Images)

Kevin Magnussen was fastest on the first day of the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test, the Dane just pipping the Red Bull of Antonio Felix da Costa.

Only half the teams are in action this week after they disagreed about the schedule. Williams, Marussia and HRT ran at Silverstone just after the British GP, while Ferrari, Mercedes and Force India went to Magny-Cours.

Those taking part are inevitably using the three-day session to test new parts for the remaining races and for 2013, in addition to sampling new talent.

Magnussen, whose father Jan drove for McLaren in the 1995 Japanese GP and later raced for Stewart GP, will be back in the car on Thursday. McLaren regular Gary Paffett was third overall after sharing the car with Magnussen.

Da Costa ran 79 trouble-free laps in the championship-leading Red Bull RB8.

“This was my first time driving an RB8 at a proper test, with proper tires on a real circuit, and … wow!,” said the Portuguese driver. “I was perhaps a little anxious beforehand, but ultimately the pedals and the steering wheel are in the usual places.

“There’s a lot to learn, particularly with the buttons on the steering wheel, and it took one or two runs to get completely comfortable with all of that – but I think we had a good day.”

Meanwhile, Robin Frijns was fourth as he made his F1 debut with Sauber. He will also drive the Red Bull later in the week.

“Gosh, this was hard work!,” said the Renault 3.5 champion. “Not in the beginning but then suddenly I felt it, especially from the brakes. I am really tired now, and know I have to go and exercise more. In the morning we started with installation laps so that I could get used to the car and the steering wheel, which isn’t that easy.

“In the afternoon I found it hard to understand the tire compounds. I had only driven on Michelin tires before, and with the Pirelli medium and soft compounds it was difficult for me after only one lap. I had the feeling the more careful I handled them, the worse it became. There is obviously a lot to learn. On my fastest lap with the soft tires, I made a mistake, so there was more to come.”

Nicolas Prost drove for Lotus on Tuesday, while GP2 star Luiz Razia appeared for Toro Rosso, and Giedo van der Garde had another outing for Caterham.

Among those in action Wednesday will be Johnny Cecotto Jr. (Toro Rosso) and Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber).

Unofficial Tuesday test times from Yas Marina:
1. Kevin Magnussen, McLaren, 1m 42.661s, 40 Laps
2. Antonio Felix da Costa, Red Bull, 1m 42.717s, 79 Laps
3. Gary Paffett, McLaren, 1m 43.407s, 44 Laps
4. Robin Frijns, Sauber, 1m 43.775s, 78 Laps
5. Nicolas Prost, Lotus, 1m 44.194s, 55 Laps
6. Luiz Razia, Toro Rosso, 1m 44.691s, 67 Laps
7. Giedo van der Garde, Caterham, 1m 45.936s, 57 Laps

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.