Magnussen eyeing debut podium

Kevin Magnussen hinted that he is eyeing a podium finish in the Australian Grand Prix if the race is wet.

In his first qualifying session for McLaren, Magnussen excelled in wet conditions to qualify fourth on the grid at Albert Park, with only the two Mercedes and Daniel Ricciardo in front of him. Looking ahead to his first race on Sunday, Magnussen admitted that a podium finish was on his mind but believes it will be a tall order if the weather stays dry.

"The race is tomorrow, and so are the points - so we need a good Sunday," Magnussen said. "I'll try to enjoy tomorrow and do the best I can - getting onto the podium won't be easy, especially if it's dry. But if it's wet, anything could happen - so I guess a wet grand prix is what I'll be hoping for."

Reflecting on how qualifying had panned out, Magnussen revealed he felt he could have gone even quicker but for a mistake on his final flying lap.

"I'm really happy. Those were difficult conditions, especially as I've never driven this track in the wet - it was quite tricky to get the lines and the braking points right. It was much trickier than anything I've ever done!

"But I don't think I could have asked for any more today. I made a mistake and went off on my last lap, so I might have been able to go quicker, but I'm still happy. The car was really good, and the team did a fantastic job of preparing me for this. I'm proud of myself, but also proud of the whole team for doing such a massively good job of preparing me over the winter. I always knew what was going on, and I knew the procedures, so it's clear that they taught me really well."