Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has indicated an electrical issue was the likely cause of his abrupt end to Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying. The Danish driver was able to set a lap time good enough for 18th on the grid - the slowest of those to complete the session with Pierre Gasly and Nyck de Vries both crashing out at Turn 3. But after complaining of an issue early in the session, Magnussen was unable to set a representative lap time with his Haas down on performance compared to its rivals. The problems followed his inability to finish the solitary practice session for the weekend after a fuel pressure issue saw Magnussen stop in the runoff in Turn 1 earlier in the day. Assessing his troubled qualifying session when speaking to media, including RacingNews365.com , Magnussen conceded: "I am not entirely sure but I had some sort of power unit issue, it could be electrical as well. "It just felt like some kind of misfire so it could be an electrical problem, but we don't really know."
Bit of a bummer
Magnussen was willing to try and make something of his qualifying but was told over team radio to pit, but he has managed to find the positives from a difficult day. "I wanted to try but they told me to pit and protect the engine," added Magnussen. "On that lap that I finished, my best lap in Q1, it was already misfiring so it cost me a lot. "It is a bit of a bummer, but on the bright side, qualifying was for the main race which gives me more opportunity to go forward. So if it had to happen in one [qualifying session], I would prefer it to be this one."
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