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Renault duo look ahead to Malaysia

NEWS STORY
26/09/2016

Kevin Magnussen is thirsty for more points as he previews the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Kevin, you had your second highest finish of the season and scored for the team in Singapore, how good did that feel?
Kevin Magnussen: It was really satisfying for myself and I was very pleased for the team because it was a boost for us all. I know how everybody back in Enstone and in Viry is working hard so a lift is just very welcome. We must now continue to improve and hopefully we can do the same again in Malaysia!

How did the result in Singapore come together?
KM: It was one of those races where we proved the adage that you should never give up. To be honest, we didn't look great at the beginning of the weekend yet we all kept pushing to maximise every detail over the weekend. In the race itself I made a great start and our strategy worked really well. It was a hard-earned point and a very rewarding one for all!

What are your thoughts about Malaysia?
KM: It will again be a very hot and humid race weekend so it will be physically demanding just like it was in Singapore. I like Sepang Circuit and besides being a great venue, the track has some great high speed sections and the last section is especially one I like very much. Tyre management will be a key aspect in Sepang.

Have you got any particular memories of racing there in the past?
KM: My first race in Sepang was in 2014 but it didn't leave me with any particular good memory but hopefully we can change that next weekend!

Do you look forward to some typical Malaysian street food?
KM: Unfortunately on a race weekend there's not too much time available to explore and sample the local cuisine and I'll most likely be headed back to the hotel every evening. It's a long day at the track then you have to train, relax and ensure you get enough sleep to be at your best for the race. Sadly sometimes sampling the local culture has to wait until you're on holiday.

How thirsty were you at the end of the Singapore Grand Prix?
KM: I was very thirsty as I didn't have any water at all during the race! No water at one of the hottest races of the season is not ideal but I got through it and tried to put it on the back of my mind during the race and concentrate on the task at hand.

Have you been busy since Singapore?
KM: I did some work for one of our biggest partners, Infiniti, which was good fun and should be seen soon. After that I spent a few days back in Denmark before heading to Malaysia so I'll replenish on energy and be ready for the next race!

Jolyon Palmer looks forward to staying in the heat and humidity of the Far East in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Jolyon, what are your thoughts about Malaysia?
Jolyon Palmer: It's hot and humid just like Singapore! It's a nice place to visit and Sepang Circuit is modern. It's nice and flowing with a couple of long straights, some fast corners and there are big braking zones. A strong finish was not possible on the streets of Singapore so I'm pumped up for this coming race and determined to gun for points.

You were a bit frustrated after your race in Singapore?
JP: Yes! It was a weekend which didn't run the smoothest over my side of the garage yet it was clear there was potential. My race was undone on the first lap when I wasn't able to make a good start with some of the action occurring in front of me and then I got a slow puncture, most likely because of the broken parts from the cars ahead. After that it was damage limitation really as the early pit stop put us out of sequence and meant we had to stretch the tyre performance; there was no way back to a good result basically! I was frustrated as we knew there was scope for more all weekend and we saw that from Kevin. I would have been far happier for myself and the team if we'd both had good results; let's hope for that in Sepang.

What's your history in Malaysia?
JP: I raced in Sepang twice when I was in GP2 but for various reasons at the time I didn't have any memorable finishes, although one year I came up to ninth from the back of the grid. There's some good overtaking opportunities at this circuit and hopefully this experience will be useful for me this year!

Have you seen much of Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur in the past?
JP: I've been lucky enough to see a bit of it; we don't always have time to see the places we visit much because we have busy schedules. Kuala Lumpur is a really nice city to explore and downtown you can visit the very modern areas with the big famous towers and then you have the more traditional areas and the markets. The city's got a great vibe.

What have you been up to since Singapore?
JP: I went to Sri Lanka for a few days and then flew back to the UK. Malaysia is another fly away race with a big time difference so I like to get there nice and early to adapt to the time zone and to the climate to be fit and ready for the race weekend.

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