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Haas has surprised many coming out strong so far this race weekend.
The new duo performed with proper pace to position themselves well for tomorrow’s first race.
At first, Kevin Magnussen described his objectives coming into this weekend.
He said, “Our objectives for this weekend are – first of all with these new cars – my biggest worry is not finishing the race. I think it’s important to get off to a solid start rather than an explosive one. Of course, it would be nice to get a super good result and that’s 100 percent what we’re gunning for but most importantly it’s to get a good start, some foundation to work from for the rest of the season. In terms of pecking order, I think it’s always hard to say even after the first race. You get a much clearer idea after the first race over winter testing, but it does tend to change quite a lot after the first race. We’ll see, I’m excited!”
Kevin Magnussen placed P7. For the first time, Haas made it into Q3. This hasn’t happened since Brazil in 2019. This time around, it’s his best qualifying since Monaco in 2019.
Magnussen mentioned, “I feel so unbelievably lucky to be in a good car in Formula. To start P7, if you can do that you’ve got to go for points [on Sunday]. The biggest concern is reliability but hopefully we can get there. Gunter [Steiner, Haas boss] said they think they have a decent car, but he didn’t promise anything. It’s just crazy.”
Hugs from @HaasF1Team after that heroic effort in qualifying!
K-Mag will start his first race since 2020 from a stunning P7 😱#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/r82RMeBX68
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 19, 2022
Returning at a pivotal moment in the sport, Kevin Magnussen stepped up. With closer racing, fast laps and downforce, it can be a challenge to get the grip overall.
The Haas team improved their determination and strategy. The Dane was flying out there on track. Despite a minor hydraulics issue, Kevin Magnussen best time today was 1:31:808 from a total of 12 laps.
Teammate, Mick Schumacher impressed as well. From 11 laps, he secured a 1:31:998. Placing P12, this is his best qualifying ever for the Haas team. This is for sure a Saturday to remember. Schumacher is staying positive and taking the right steps towards the top.
A big shout to Mick too 💪
P12 is his BEST qualifying result in his F1 career so far!#HaasF1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/uYXNUlcigf
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) March 19, 2022
Haas has come a long way. Starting off the weekend, Guenther Steiner said, “It was a good day today. Surprisingly there were no issues with the car, no gremlins, nothing. That means the team did a fantastic job over the last week from testing to now – it was relentless work. For FP1 and FP2 we were out there, and we are where we actually want to be. We just need to take it now to qualifying tomorrow with the same pace and reliability, as well as for the race.”
Headline Image Credit: Formula 1.
