Formula One newbie team Haas enjoyed a dream debut in Australia.
The American team entered the pinnacle competition in motorsport for the first time in Australia, building their new team from scratch.
The first time the new car hit the track was in the first winter test of 2016 at Circuit de Catalunya.
Expectation levels amongst this new team were always quite high.
This was partly due to having the backing of true motorsport people who have a background in both Indy Cars and Nascar and also the partnership the had set-up with Ferrari.
Everything that the Formula One regulations allowed them to purchase, including power-units and gearboxes, they have done, leaving the rest to the team to develop themselves.
This has led to the Haas having a very strong base and with experience drivers in the form of Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez they were realistically targeting Formula One World Constructors points at some stage in 2016.
Not many would have anticipated it happening in the first race of the season and certainly not from a sixth placed finish for Grosjean.
‘this is a win for us guys’ Grosjean whooped on the team radio after the race before telling Sky Sports: ‘It feels like standing on the top step of the podium for us. It’s been an amazing race and an amazing weekend.
‘There’s been so much work behind the scenes from day one – this car’s got huge potential but we needed a good result. There are plenty of areas where we can improve and we know it, but that result is a morale boost for everyone.
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