Happy Grosjean secures best Haas qualifying result to date

Romain Grosjean was a happy man at the end of Saturday's Australian GP qualifying session, placing Haas and himself sixth on tomorrow's grid.

The performance gave the US outfit its best qualifying effort to date, bettering its previous best of seventh earned by Grosjean in last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

The French driver gradually increased his pace in qualifying, accessing each segment to find himself battling it out among the heavy hitters in Q1.

"Happy day. It was quite an unbelievable qualifying session for us," enthused Grosjean.

"It’s a shame that we didn’t get Kevin there, but the car is looking good, even better than what we’ve seen recently.

"We’ve made some good progress over the weekend. There’s a lot more we can understand and analyze but, generally, it’s a great start for us."

Hamilton takes comfortable first pole of 2017

In addition to an opportunity to head the mid-field tomorrow, Grosjean's performance simply validates in the best possible way the team's work and direction, as well as the potential of its VF17 design.

But it can still all go right or terribly wrong when the lights turn green tomorrow, with Haas still optimizing its grid launch procedure.

"It’s always good to start with a strong qualifying session. It tells you that if you keep improving the car, you could be in a good place very soon.

"If that’s our baseline, and you can fight between sixth and 10th position, where it’s so tight, it would be great to be there most of the time and enjoy some good times.

"Tomorrow’s start is a big unknown. We’ve been practicing and some have been good, others not so much. Hopefully, we’ll get the first one right tomorrow."

Gallery: all the pics from Saturday's action

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.