Haas boss Guenther Steiner believes the strong pace the US outfit displayed in the opening round of the 2019 season will be carried over to Bahrain next weekend.
Haas secured a sixth-place finish in Melbourne thanks to Kevin Magnussen and only missed out on a double top-ten finish with Romain Grosjean when the Frenchman retired from the race following a pit stop mishap.
Steiner therefore sees Haas fighting once again for a sport among the top mid-field contenders as their fierce battle resumes in the Bahrain desert.
"Our car showed that it was fast in Barcelona and in Australia, so I don’t foresee anything different for Bahrain," said the Italian team boss.
"It’s great for Formula 1 to have a battle like this in the midfield. It would be fantastic if this was at the front – if it could be for first, second and third.
"Nearly every race could have a different winner. The podium would be filled by more than just three teams. I think it’s very tight.
"We’re looking forward to the battle because it’s always good to go to the racetrack and have something to fight for."
©Haas
The intense mid-field action has brought a few teams closer to F1's front-runners. But Steiner is under no illusions about the gap that remains with the leading Mercedes-Ferrari-Red Bull trio.
"We’ve moved closer, but we’re still a little bit off," admitted the Haas boss.
"Our plan is to be solid in fourth place and fight for being the best-of-the-rest.
"If something happens to the first three teams, we’re in a good position to maybe get on the podium."
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