“We felt like we were faster than our opposition”- Kevin Magnussen explains why Haas struggled at the 2022 Australian GP

After a strong start to the 2022 season, Haas and Kevin Magnussen faced a minor setback in Australia as they finished point-less. 

Haas faced a tumultuous pre-season off the track. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine resulted in both Uralkali and Nikita Mazepin leaving the team, just days before the start of the campaign.

In the nick of time, they brought back former driver Kevin Magnussen, who hadn’t raced in F1 since 2020. Despite the last minute hassle, they went off to a brilliant start this year.

At the Bahrain GP, Magnussen surprised the entire paddock by taking his Haas to a fifth place finish. It was followed by another points finish in Jeddah for the Dane, where he ended P9.

His teammate Mick Schumacher is yet to earn his first points in F1, but the young German too, showed glimpses of brilliance in the opening two rounds.

At last weekend’s Australian GP however, their blistering start hit a bit of a roadblock. The VF-22 looked off pace all weekend long, and unsurprisingly, neither drivers finished in the top 10.

Also read: Max Verstappen criticised the pace of the safety cars in the 2022 season

Albert Park was a fun track to drive on, says Haas’ Kevin Magnussen

In spite of enduring an underwhelming weekend, Magnussen insists that they had fun driving around the track on Sunday. He lauded the circuit for it’s high speed layout, and blames luck for them not scoring any points.

Schumacher qualified P15 ahead of Magnussen in P16 for the race. However, the latter is adamant that they had a strategy in mind that could have allowed them to finish in the points.

“It was good fun, and a nice track,” he said. “I’m disappointed not to get points today. We made a small gamble, I would say, with the Hard tyre, because we felt like we were faster than our opposition, which we were.”

Guenther is confident we can bounce back at the next race in Imola ➡️🇮🇹#HaasF1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/UoAFFbPYIz

— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) April 10, 2022

“But, again, the Safety Car came and ruined completely the strategy,” the former McLaren driver continued. “We know that’s the gamble, but it’s happened two times now, so it’s a bummer. We’ll take them next time!”

The F1 season resumes after a one week gap, when the teams travel to Imola for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Also read: Aston Martin concerned about Sebastian Vettel after a disastrous Australian GP