Haas prepare for milestone after "rollercoaster" stint in F1

Magnussen and Schumacher in Bahrain — Photo: © LAT Images

Haas

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Haas prepare for milestone after "rollercoaster" stint in F1

The team is geared up for its 125th grand prix

Ewan Gale

Friday 1 April 2022 12:00

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has described the team's time in F1 as a "rollercoaster ride" ahead of its 125th race with the upcoming Australian Grand Prix.

The American outfit made its debut in Albert Park in 2016, enjoying a sixth-place finish courtesy of Romain Grosjean.

Since then Haas has had good and bad times, with some strong results over the first three seasons negated by a severe downturn in form from 2019, in conjunction with sponsorship dramas such as with Rich Energy and Uralkali.

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Under the new aerodynamic regulations, form has returned this season, with Kevin Magnussen scoring points in the first two races.

Ahead of the team's milestone event at Melbourne's Albert Park, Steiner has recounted personal memories from Haas' time in the sport.

“First of all, yes, it was a rollercoaster and we’ve had a lot of downs on the rollercoaster ride over the six years but quite good ups as well," said Steiner.

"I’d say more than 50 per cent of the people that were there at the first race are still with us, so that for me is an achievement.

"It’s been a very good ride, there have been some challenges in the ride, but it’s been fantastic.

"The most memorable moment for sure was the sixth-place finish in our first race and second, the fifth-place finish in the championship in 2018 which we will try to replicate hopefully soon.”

Schumacher Magnussen relationship "pretty good"

Magnussen's return to the team has given Mick Schumacher a benchmark to aim for after the German largely spent his rookie season as the team leader in tandem with Nikita Mazepin.

Asked how the relationship between Magnussen and Schumacher had evolved since the Danish driver was drafted in ahead of the final pre-season test, Steiner declared it to be "pretty good".

He added: "For Mick, he can have a reference now with Kevin, and Kevin is trying to help Mick with his experience which he got from driving Formula 1 cars for six years in his career.

"Internally, the team works very well together on both sides of the garage - with engineers and mechanics - it’s a very good atmosphere at the moment.”