Kevin Magnussen ended Renault’s Formula 1 points drought dating back to May’s Russian Grand Prix after enjoying a “perfect” race en route to 10th place in Singapore.
Magnussen started 15th on the grid at Marina Bay, but capitalized on a crash at the start to move into the top 10.
From there, the Dane found himself battling with Carlos Sainz Jr. and Esteban Gutierrez for the final point on offer in Singapore, eventually finishing as the last driver on the lead lap.
The point for P10 takes Magnussen and Renault’s haul for the season up to seven points, having scored the other six in Russia on May 1.
“I’m very happy for the whole team as this must be a boost for all of us,” Magnussen said.
“It’s been a very demanding season as we all want to score points at every race, but that’s not been possible.
“Nevertheless we all keep fighting and a result like today shows why we fight and why we never give up.
“The team nailed it with the strategy, with the start and with the balance of the car.
“To drive a race like this and not to win it, it feels strange because for me it felt perfect.”
Magnussen’s teammate Jolyon Palmer finished down in 15th place, but put took heart from the Dane’s charge into the points.
“That was a tough race and we didn’t have any breaks come our way,” Palmer said.
“I lost out with the shenanigans at the start and probably collected some debris as I had an early slow puncture too.
“We pitted pretty early and this meant we had to run for longer subsequent stints which meant nursing the tires more than if we’d run the more balanced stint length planned.
“I lost a lot of time behind the Manors but it wasn’t possible to pass them on this track.
“The positive from today is we’ve seen that there’s still scope to get points if everything goes your way. That’s what I’m gunning for in Sepang.”
