KANNAPOLIS, NC (WBTV) – For the second week in a row the Kannapolis-based Haas Formula One team scored a double points finish, this time in the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria.
“A fantastic result for the team today with a double-point finish and back in P7 in the championship,” said Team Principal Guenther Steiner. “There was a little issue with Kevin’s engine, but everything went as perfect as it can be. Thanks to the whole team for a great effort.”
Haas F1 Team finished the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday squarely in the points with Mick Schumacher sixth and Kevin Magnussen eighth.
Both drivers started on the Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium tires and each gained a position respectively when Sergio Perez was spun off by George Russell, slotting Magnussen into sixth and Schumacher eighth. Magnussen came in on lap 16, taking on White hard tires, with Schumacher following on the next tour. As the race bedded in Schumacher then passed Magnussen on lap 33 on the start-finish straight to place the German sixth with the Dane seventh.
Magnussen, who was experiencing a power unit issue, pitted again on lap 41, taking on another set of hard tires, before Schumacher came in on lap 43, also for the hard rubber. That put both drivers in traffic but they worked their way through the opposition, moving up into sixth and seventh respectively. Schumacher took the checkered flag in sixth place, recording his highest Formula 1 finish to-date, while Magnussen classified eighth after being passed by Lando Norris.
“What a weekend for our team, it’s really been great,” Magnussen said. “Finally, we had a bit of luck, it kind of went our way after those four or five races recently that weren’t good for us. It’s hard not to get a little bit down about it but the last two races we’ve been lucky and we’ve had the pace, especially this weekend. I had a bit of an engine issue all race so I was just praying to God that it wouldn’t blow up, which it didn’t, so I’m super thankful for that so I could finish the race without a problem. We just had a great qualifying, a great sprint and then a great race, so I’m super happy.”
“Fighting again with Lewis was fun. I felt a lot different compared to yesterday, obviously knowing that we had to take care of the tires,” said Schumacher. “Quite soon I felt it wasn’t going to be a one-stop race just because of the way the tires were behaving – the winds were very different and difficult to manage. It was tough out there but it’s another double-point finish again after Silverstone, so everyone in the team can be very happy about the result. Being voted driver of the day as well is great so thank you to everybody.”
The haul of 12 points, added to the two earned in Saturday’s Sprint, gives Haas F1 Team a weekend reward of 14 points, its best team result since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.
Up front Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc claimed his fifth career victory, ahead of Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes AMG driver Lewis Hamilton.
Haas F1 Team moves into seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship with 34 points.
Next up is round 12 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship is the French Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Practice – Friday July 22. Qualifying – Saturday July 23. Race – Sunday July 24.
Haas F1 Team Pit Notes contributed to this story.
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