BARCELONA, Spain -- Kevin Magnussen would like to have Renault's upgraded engine at the Monaco Grand Prix after his first laps with it on Wednesday.
Magnussen took over testing duties for Renault on the second and final day of this week's in-season test, with the manufacturer running the upgraded engine slated for introduction in Canada. Esteban Ocon tested for Renault yesterday and said it immediately felt faster, while Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was impressed and shared Magnussen's enthusiasm to get it in the car in time for Monte Carlo.
When asked if he would like the new power unit for Monaco, Magnussen said: "Yeah definitely. Whether we get it or not, I'd like to have it but I'm not deciding it."
Magnussen saw an immediate improvement from the old specification.
"To be honest the engine feels nice to drive and the drivability is actually better than with the old engine ... Yeah there's more power, but from the driving point of view it's difficult to feel how fast you're going on the straight.
"Whether you're going 330km/h or 333km/h is difficult to feel, but the engineers will have it on the data and they will tell us later on. At the moment the main thing is the power unit is drivable so that we can continue just working as normal."
Even though the twisty and technical confines of Monte Carlo's street circuit might not seem like the most logical place for an engine upgrade, Magnussen says the driveability of the engine was noticeably better from the first lap.
"I think it's not that different in Monaco than other places in terms of how important drivability is. Everywhere you drive it's important to feel the power and to be able to control it. As I said, this power unit is actually better than the old one and we haven't had that much time to work on it. Straight away out of the box it was better driveability, so hopefully the power is a good step as well."