Remember the name – Kevin Magnussen! The Danish driver pulled off something ridiculously amazing at the opening F1 race weekend in Bahrain. Right from the first practice session, Magnussen was right at the top of his game, finding the much-needed extra bit of pace to challenge the mid-field pack. And, believe it or not, it certainly isn’t as easy to deliver such an astounding all-round performance.

Of course, Haas were showing signs of a resurgence since the pre-season testing in Barcelona and the hopes were consequently on the rise. However, then arrived the Russia-Ukraine conflict that forced Nikita Mazepin out of the team and led to Magnussen’s return. Magnussen’s experience was certainly a huge boost for the team after having spent an entire season with a pair of rookies.

But, on the other hand, there was also the fact that Magnussen wasn’t as experienced as the rest of the grid when it came to the 2022 cars. Having missed out on the Barcelona testing, he had a lot to catch up on. And boy, did he do it some style!

Kevin Magnussen enjoys a mid-field dominant F1 race in Bahrain

On Saturday, Magnussen was looking on course to secure a top 6 start for Haas. However, Valtteri Bottas’ late Q3 charge denied him the position. Instead, had to settle for P7. Then arrived Sunday’s main race where Magnussen pulled off a stunning getaway at lights out, putting himself in the top 5 for the initial few laps.

But, Perez reclaiming the P5 from Magnussen was almost inevitable considering the Red Bull’s dominant pace. Nevertheless, a P7 looked like the best result he could deliver for Haas. But, then came the shocking late turnaround with both the Red Bull drivers suffering DNFs.

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This subsequently propelled the Danish driver into P5 only behind the Ferrari duo and the Mercedes duo. Eventually, the chequered flag came out as Magnussen officially became the ‘best of the rest’ driver.

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What’s more, Haas are now holding onto P3 in the constructor’s championship. All they need now is a bit of effort from Mick Schumacher to prove themselves unstoppable against the rivals. So, can the German join high-flying Magnussen to gift Haas their first double-points finish in ages at the upcoming Saudi Arabian GP?