In testing we saw Haas proving themselves and having a good run in testing by putting up some respectful times as they look to enter the top of the midfield again.
On the 7th of March, it was revealed that the cargo plane that was supposed to be bringing car parts and equipment had broken down near Istanbul, which put the team in doubt that they would make the first day of testing. In the middle of all of this, on the 9th of March, Haas announced that Danish driver Kevin Magnussen will be re-joining the team after former driver Nikita Mazepin had his and the former title sponsor ‘Uralkali’ contracts terminated as a result of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The Haas team terminated these contracts with “immediate effect”.
The car parts and equipment eventually arrived at Bahrain 2 days after the other teams. The team sadly missed the first morning session of testing however, Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi was given the opportunity to participate in the afternoon session which was his first outing in an F1 event since Abu Dhabi 2020 after he filled in for Romain Grosjean for 2 races after his scary and fiery crash at Bahrain 2020. Fittipaldi put in a time of 1.37.422 in the afternoon session which was +3.520 off the pace.
However, the main reason for the question “Are Haas a real threat in 2022?” is what Kevin Magnussen managed to achieve in the 1 hour extra Haas were given on Day 2 of testing as a result of their absence of the morning session for on Day 1. Magnussen managed to achieve the fastest lap on Day 2 of testing with a 1.33.207 going around 3 tenths quicker than previous fastest lap holder Carlos Sainz! It seems that the Danish driver doesn’t need much time to get used to an F1 car again it seems.
Furthermore, on Day 3 of testing, Mick Schumacher managed a time of a 1.33.151 putting the German in 8th place overall on the Day 3. However, Magnussen could only manage a 1.38.616 but he showed his pace on Day 2. This certainly does raise the question, “Are Haas a real threat in 2022?”
After testing, Kevin Magnussen spoke very positively about the progress of the Haas team saying “you can really feel that there is an upwards trend in growth in the team”. After Magnussen was dropped in 2020, the Danish driver said that he “doubts” he’ll return to F1 however, he has now returned. Also with young German driver Mick Schumacher in his second year in F1, are Haas a threat in 2022?