Australia, the “exception” which confirms the rule for Magnussen and Haas?

It’s a weekend to forget on every level – or almost! In Australia, Magnussen et Haas were initially unlucky, when the Dane was a shadow of himself on Friday, unable to appear at a press conference; but also poor performance, since the team, for the first time this season, scored no points at the finish of the Grand Prix. Last year, such a performance would probably not have stirred up the crowds. But times have changed, and on the Haas side, it is estimated that Melbourne was only a " exception " in a season which promises to be much more exciting than the previous ones.

“We will score points next time”

Only thirteenth at the finish of the Grand Prix this Sunday, K-Mag, as he is nicknamed, could have played the fatalist and convinced himself that the American team was gradually falling into line. But since this is a first this season for Haas, there is no question of falling for it. Beyond his complicated start to the weekend in every way, the Dane prefers to see it as a lack of luck rather than a lack of performance, like Jeddah:

“We took a little gamble with the hard tire, because we felt we were faster than our position [departure], he detailed afterwards. But once again the safety car came out and completely ruined our strategy. We know it was a gamble, but it happened twice, so it's bound to be a disappointment. »

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A few weeks earlier, in Saudi Arabia, Magnussen had also suffered from bad luck, seeing the Safety Car go out shortly after his passage in the pits, relegating him beyond the top 10. But the Dane had this This time managed to score points, finishing in ninth position. If the scenario happened again in Australia, the outcome was not the same for Magnussen and Haas, although the performances of his car remain encouraging.

“We struggled a bit with the tires on this new tarmac, but we turned things around and were able to get closer to the peloton in the race. We have even exceeded theAlpine by Fernando [Alonso], who almost qualified on the front row the day before... We will score points next time. »

Ninth in the drivers' standings with twelve points already on the clock, Kevin Magnussen is currently experiencing a return to F1 almost idyllic. And yet, the situation was far from a foregone conclusion, given the state of the American team before the change in regulations introduced this season.

Disappointed not to get points today. We gambled on the hard tire, but the safety car ruined the strategy. The starting set-up wasn't good and we were struggling with tires on the new tarmac. But we were able to turn things around and @HaasF1Team will score points next time 👊💥 pic.twitter.com/QMDD1NUaID

- Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) April 10, 2022