Kevin Magnussen delivered another points-paying performance for Haas F1 Team by finishing sixth in the Spanish Grand prix. It was a best-of-the-rest result, with only the heavy-hitters of Formula One ahead of him, as Mercedes, Red Bull and Scuderia Ferrari comprised the top-five.
At the other end of the racing spectrum was Magnussen’s teammate, Romain Grosjean. An opening-lap spin in turn three of the 4.655-kilometer (2.892-mile), 16-turn track sent Grosjean across the racing line and into the paths of Nico Hulkenberg’s Renault and Pierre Gasly’s Toro Rosso. All walked away from the accident unharmed, but each saw their race end before it ever really began, as Grosjean was credited with an 18th-place finish.
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner defined the race in Spain as good, adding “but it could’ve been better”.
“Romain made up positions at the start, but the car spun around and his race ended early. Kevin did a solid job. There was never a threat for his position. All in all, a good day, and again we showed that we’re in the top of the midfield at the moment. We’re really looking forward to going to Monte Carlo to get some more points.”
Magnussen commented it was a strong performance on his side
He also said Haas deserved to get that kind of points in Bahrain and Spain.
“I had a really good start. I was alongside the Red Bulls, but I didn’t really want to fight them as I knew they were much faster. My job was to stay in seventh and settle down from there. I was able to defend well, keep out of trouble on the first lap, so I was happy”, Magnussen explained.
“We should be able to score points at every race, and we have had the car to do that, we’ve just had some mistakes and mishaps that meant we didn’t score points regularly. It’s good to get some good points on the board. I’m happy we’re back more in our deserved position in the constructors’ championship, as well. We just need to keep this level up and continue to score regularly.”
Yeeessss @KevinMagnussen!
P6 at the #SpanishGP and 8 more championship points! ????#HaasF1 #PointsHaul ? pic.twitter.com/SLXEHCTCCM
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) May 13, 2018
Grosjean admitted he did not have a lot to say
“I lost the rear end in turn three and I just spun. If you look at the footage, I had wanted to avoid contact with my teammate. Kevin had a bit of a wobble, I lifted off the throttle, and then the car just went. I’m sorry for the others that were involved – there wasn’t much I could do once the car went. Kevin had a good race, which is good for the team. I had wanted a steady race, but that wasn’t to be”, he added.
Five rounds into the 21-race Formula One schedule, Haas F1 Team is sixth in the constructors’ standings with 19 points, 21 points behind fifth-place McLaren and one point ahead of seventh-place Force India.
Seconds into the #SpanishGP – carnage ?
Take a look at *that* early crash from all the angles ?
Grosjean OUT
Gasly OUT
Hulkenberg OUT#F1 pic.twitter.com/3RinHMW1BF
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 13, 2018
