Haas F1 believe they scored vital points during the Belgian Grand Prix which has raised morale as they try to hunt down Renault in the Constructors' Championship.
Both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen chased both Force Indias to the chequered flag race around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit to finish seventh and eighth respectively, scoring points where their nearest rivals in Renault failed to do so.
"That was about what we expected," said Grosjean. "We knew the Force Indias had the same pace, if not a bit quicker, so it was difficult to stay with them. They were quick on a straight line.
"I’m pretty happy with how the race went, and I’m happy Kevin was there as well. We did the best we could. Two cars in the points – in seventh and eighth – that’s really good for the constructors’ championship.
"It was a lot of points for us and zero for some others, so that’s a positive from this race."
Kevin Magnussen felt despite losing time during his pit stop, there wasn't much of a chance to chase down the Force India pair in front, but was happy to continue the team's point-scoring streak to help make up ground on his former team.
"We scored points with both cars, which was the goal," added Magnussen.
We did everything we could. In the race, I lost a lot of time around the pit stops, which was unfortunate but, even so, I don’t think I could have fought the Force Indias.
"It would probably have just been a swap between me and Romain. We’re catching up on Renault, and that’s the target. I’m really just happy for the team. We can be pleased with the result. Scoring 10 points on a day when Renault didn’t score any points – that’s important."
The gap in the Constructors' Championship to fourth-placed Renault has been closed down to six points after the French manufacturer failed to score.
