Haas' Magnussen: 'No guarantees we'll be strong in Bahrain'

Despite Haas' impressive speed at the outset this season, Kevin Magnussen is wary of making positive predictions for next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

The US outfit confirmed in Australia its 'dark horse' label this season, with both Magnussen and Romain Grosjean qualifying in the top seven in Melbourne and holding their own on Sunday only to see their efforts destroyed by an incredible double pitstop blunder.

Both drivers enthused over the speed and efficiency of their VF-18, dubbed the 'white Ferrari' by a few of Haas' envious rivals, but Magnussen is still taking a cautionary stance before next week's visit to Sakhir.

"It was good to have a competitive car in Australia and being able to compete at the right end of the series. I hope we can continue that way," said the Dane in the team's race preview.

Grosjean: 'Haas in a good place with good baseline'

"But there’s no guarantee we’ll be that strong in Bahrain, so we have to work hard to try and understand the car and make sure we carry the performance forward into the next race.

"I’m not taking anything for granted. Again, we have a good car, but I’m cautious. We’ll take it one race at a time."

Like his team mate, Magnussen vows to move on from last weekend's disappointment while keeping the Haas team's solidarity in check.

"We try to refocus and look forward to the next one," Magnussen said.

"We take the positives that we can from Australia, which is we have a good car. We take that forward to Bahrain.

"We win together and we lose together. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes – we have to make room for that – but we’ll learn from that and improve together."

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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.