Magnussen brings Haas straight to P5 on return: 'Crazy'

Kevin Magnussen made his return to Formula 1 at Haas F1 last minute, and the Dane made an immediate impact in Bahrain. He finished fifth in a car that didn't score a single point last year.

It was a dream comeback for Magnussen in Bahrain. The Haas driver, who replaced Nikita Mazepin, picked up ten points at the Bahrain International Circuit with a fifth place finish. Magnussen already qualified strongly, but in addition drove a very solid race. The drama with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the final laps allowed Magnussen to finish so high, and just like in his debut race, the Dane managed to surprise. His first race in Australia he finished second; that was in a McLaren. Now at his comeback in a Haas he grabbed P5.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, the Dane said, "It's crazy. I've been saying that all along. It's just crazy. It just gets better, better and better." Magnussen seems to have no words for the situation. The Dane even briefly engaged in a fight with Lewis Hamilton. "I then made a few mistakes by braking in Turn 1, losing a place each time. I got into a rhythm and stuck there." Magnussen closed by praising the team: "The team deserves this so much, after everything they had to endure with the bad cars. They deserve these changes. I have to thank Gene [Haas] and Guenther for this opportunity."

In addition to Magnussen's good score, Haas' other car also did well. Mick Schumacher unfortunately just missed out on his first F1 points, but a P11 for the young German while there were 'only' three retirements in the race, is certainly not bad. The question is whether Haas can keep it up during the season to continue developing. In previous years, the team did their homework well in the winter and they appeared strong at the start in Australia, but then quickly went downhill.