F1 returnee Kevin Magnussen is confident Haas can upgrade its performance level this season, based on the upbeat "vibe" he's picking up inside the US outfit.
Magnussen who raced for Has for fiur season between 2017 and 2020 was the team's first and only choice to fill the seat vacated by Nikita Mazepin before last week's test in Bahrain.
The Dane lost no time getting back into the groove, setting the second fastest time at the end of Day 2 at Sakhir - his first session in the car - when Haas was granted an extra hour of testing.
The performance was set in the extra time's cooler conditions and likely with very little fuel on board, but it was still a performance that bodes well for Haas' start to its 2022 campaign, as do the upbeat comments delivered to Magnussen by team boss Guenther Steiner.
©Haas
"He didn’t promise anything," the 29-year-old driver told the media in Bahrain. "He said they have been working really hard on it and have given me some indications.
"And then just walking around, speaking to everyone in the team, I feel there is some sort of vibe going on. Let’s see.
"I don’t think we are going for the championship this year but I think there is a good atmosphere. You can feel something good is coming, but let’s see."
Although encouraged by the positive atmosphere, Magnussen stressed that Haas is keeping its expectations well in check ahead of next weekend's curtain raiser.
"Our expectations are under control," he added. "We know better than to think we will go out there and smash it.
"But it’s good that there’s a lot of smiles around the team and everyone is looking forward to it, and they are not scared of going on track with something that will be embarrassing because I feel like the team are in a good place."
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