Magnussen praises Haas for 'getting everything right'

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Kevin Magnussen delivered to Haas the honorary title of 'best of the rest' on Sunday, thanks to a competitive drive to sixth at Paul Ricard.

The Dane kept his car and himself out of trouble at the outset, steering clear of the opening lap chaos to produce a consistent drive for the remainder of the afternoon.

"It was a good race and we had a good car, we got everything right," enthused Magnussen.

"It was a good race for us, and very happy to come back from the disappointment of yesterday.

"We knew we were still standing in a position of where we could probably do something good in the race, and it was our day today."

Team Talk - Sunday in Le Castellet

Magnussen fought hard to remain in contention for a top-ten finish after his scheduled pit stop on lap 258 to take swap his ultrasoft tyres for a set of soft rubber.

His tenacity led him back to P8 with 16 laps to go, after which he overhauled Carlos Sainz when the Renault driver was hit with an engine problem while keeping Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes at bay after the Finn's second pit stop.

"I was struggling quite a bit on the ultrasofts there in the first stint, just overheating and sliding around on the rears, he said.

"For some reason, the front tyres were working really well and the rear tyres were struggling. Still, the degradation for us was quite low even though the balance was off.

"When we put the softs on, I kind of started out looking after them a little bit, which then when I got under pressure from Bottas, I really started pushing, and then the tyres came alive even more and I found four-tenths, half a second more. It was just what I needed."

The eight championship points secured by Magnussen have put Haas in sole possession of seventh in the Constructors' standings, just one point behind Force India.

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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.