20/03/2022
NEWS STORY
Haas F1 Team opened its 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Kevin Magnussen fifth and Mick Schumacher 11th at the Bahrain Grand Prix, held Sunday at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Magnussen started from seventh place on Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires and worked his way up to fifth on the opening lap as he settled into a rhythm. The Dane pitted for softs on lap 14, and again on lap 34 for Yellow mediums, before diving into the pits once more for softs on lap 47 when a safety car was deployed.
He held seventh at the restart and profited when both Red Bull drivers retired due to mechanical issues to move up to fifth. Magnussen greeted the checkered flag in fifth position to earn 10 championship points and equal his best result with Haas F1 Team.
Schumacher began the race from 12th place on soft tires and moved into the top 10. However, the German was unfortunately tapped into a spin by Esteban Ocon, for which the Alpine driver was penalized. Schumacher emerged in 13th position and came in for mediums on lap 12 before making a second stop for softs on lap 36.
When the safety car was deployed Schumacher remained out on track, moving into 10th position, but was unable to retain position compared to opponents on fresher tires and classified 11th. It marked Schumacher's highest race classification in his Formula 1 career.
Haas F1 Team holds third place in the Constructors' Championship with 10 points.
Haas F1 Team will return to action at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, to be held at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, from March 25 to 27.
Kevin Magnussen: "The craziness just continues. We had a really good race and the car was good all the way through. We had a little more degradation than we would've hoped for on the first set of tires, but I also got passed a few people that were faster than me on the first lap and I didn't really know whether to keep them behind or let them go. I also locked up a little bit so maybe it wasn't perfect, but even though we pitted earlier we then extended the second stint on the same tire to get back on plan. Then there was a safety car that put everyone on the same tire and then it was just a sprint race to the end, so it was just intense. Obviously, a bit of luck there with the two Red Bull's but we'll take that."
Mick Schumacher: "With all the circumstances that we had with the spin in Turn 6 after contact - I don't know how much damage that would've brought to the car - it didn't feel amazing to drive afterwards. I think that was also represented in the pace we had. Seeing Kevin in P5 means that we have the car to do this, and that I can do the same. That also means we're close to podiums if there's a crazy weekend, which there usually is in Formula 1, so we should be able to do that."
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal: "A very good day for us today, it's good to be back for the whole team. They've done a fantastic job, not just today but for the last two years. Everyone kept their head high and just got ready for the moment that we would have a good car. When that moment came, everyone did their part and I'm very proud of them, and they can be proud of themselves."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Bahrain, here.