Kevin Magnussen believes that a double-points finish for the Haas F1 Team at the Belgian Grand Prix will be hugely important in the battle for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Magnussen finished eighth, one place above his grid spot, just behind team-mate Romain Grosjean, as Haas scored 10 points on a day where their main rivals, the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team, failed to register a top ten finish. The result leaves Haas just six points behind the French marque, with Magnussen moving to within three points of Nico Hülkenberg in the Drivers’ standings. Belgium also marked Magnussen’s fifth points finish in the last six races.
The Dane revealed that he suffered from losing time around his pit stop window, but believed that the Racing Point Force India F1 Team duo of Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon were simply too quick, ensuring that seventh and eighth was the maximum result for the American outfit.
“We scored points with both cars, which was the goal for today,” said Magnussen. “We did everything we could.
“In the race, I lost a lot of time around the pit stops, which was unfortunate but, even so, I don’t think I could have fought the Force Indias. It would probably have just been a swap between me and Romain.”
Magnussen added that the team are solely working on catching Renault and that Haas “can be pleased” with their Belgian weekend, even more so considering Renault’s troubles. The good wet weather performance of the VF-18 was showcased by Grosjean, who managed to qualify in fifth in tricky conditions.
“We’re catching up on Renault, and that’s the target,” he added. “I’m really just happy for the team.
“We can be pleased with the result today. Scoring 10 points on a day when Renault didn’t score any points – that’s important.”
Haas’ 76 points in 2018 equals the number of points they scored in their first two seasons, 2016 and ’17, combined.