JAKARTA - Kevin Magnussen dreams of a podium in Jeddah after guiding the Haas team to their highest finish for the past three years in the season-opening race of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Dane raced for the Haas team from 2017 to 2020 before being recalled to Formula 1 this year at the last minute by the United States team following the expulsion of Russian driver Nikita Mazepin due to sanctions against Russia invading Ukraine.
Magnussen surprisingly finished P5 in their first race since returning to Haas, who last season slumped to the bottom of the standings without scoring a single point, their best result since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.
The points packed lift Hass into third place in the standings behind Ferrari and Mercedes for the time being, and give optimism to the team.
"I don't see us heading to the podium anytime soon but I hope we are in the position we are in Bahrain, leading the mid-table," Magnussen said ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, as quoted by Reuters on Thursday.
"When you're there, you're the first to receive a podium if you have a lucky day where a lot of riders have problems... or there's a red flag at the right time on the track that makes it difficult to overtake, or something like that.
"That's something I've always dreamed of," said Magnussen.
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Haas, who had their best result as fifth in the 2018 standings, became the fourth-best team in terms of pure speed during the race in Bahrain.
Magnussen was actually on track to finish P7 before Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez suffered a fuel system failure in the final laps.
The misfortunes of the two drivers were like a windfall for Magnussen, who "comeback" this season and increased the prospects for the team from the United States.
However, Magnussen did not want to be complacent.
"I took the podium in my first race in F1, then after that everything was disappointing because what I got was not a win after I finished second," said the driver who achieved his best result when he finished runner-up on his F1 debut with McLaren in 2014.
"I don't want to make that mistake again, going from race to race, building incrementally in this championship and bringing out the best every time."
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