Kevin Magnussen was delighted by the performance of Haas, as the American team secured their best ever qualifying result at the Australian GP.
The Dane and teammate Romain Grosjean proved the performance in testing was no fluke and will start Sunday’s race from fifth and sixth respectively, gaining one position after the penalty for Daniel Ricciardo.
More impressive, however, is having jumped up from near the back of the grid at the end of last season and now sitting level if not ahead Renault and McLaren at the head of a very tight midfield.
“It’s a great way to start,” said Magnussen. “We have a good package here this weekend.
“We were anxious to see after Barcelona how it would be on a different track – different conditions, different temperature etc – and again the car delivered. It was very, very good – very consistent and fast.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team for the job they’ve done over the winter. With so little resources and people and budget, it’s an amazing job.”
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From their starting positions, the aim could be to repeat the fifth-place finish Grosjean achieved at the team’s first race in Melbourne in 2016.
Asked what has been the key to Haas’ big step forward, the Frenchman said: “I can push the car as much as I want, which obviously makes me very happy.
“Everyone’s very happy and it reflects the hard work from everyone on the team.”