Kevin Magnussen says that he was hopeful he would take home more than a singular point after qualifying in fourth place for the Miami Grand Prix.
A premature end to the Q3 session in Miami following a crash for Charles Leclerc meant that Magnussen was secured on the second row for the start of the race.
However, the Dane realistically knew that the chances of retaining the position was low given there were a number of faster cars behind him on the grid.
Despite slipping down the order throughout the grand prix, he held on to take his second 10th-place result of the season – but he admits that he was holding out for a stronger finishing position.
“I think it’s been a strong weekend,” he said. “Very solid. Obviously, I was dreaming of a little more than one point today.
“But I think all the big teams finished the race today and had no problems. So it was a pretty difficult race to score points. There were no gifts as such.
“And we still got one point, so I’m pretty happy with that. Probably a little more degradation than I’d love to have but I think we made a good step forward this weekend.”
Magnussen’s race started to go downhill from the start, as he lost out by dropping a number of places off the line.
However, he was also embroiled in one of the most notable moments of the race as he went wheel-to-wheel with Leclerc for a handful of laps, with the Ferrari driver ultimately winning out in the fight.
Reflecting on the race, Magnussen said: “I had a shitty start, starting wheel spinning immediately.
“Then had a long fight with Leclerc which was tough for my tyres and probably should have looked after my tyres a little more in hindsight, but anyway.
“I think we had a strong day and scored one point.”
Haas’ improved form at the race weekend was aided by a floor upgrade that it brought to the event.
Magnussen’s team-mate Nico Hulkenberg failed to score points at the race, crossing the line in 15th.
