Haas remaining "cautiously optimistic" heading into the 2018 season

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the American team is remaining cautiously optimistic as it heads to Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Haas impressed at pre-season testing, with Kevin Magnussen setting the fifth fastest time on the super soft tyre.

World champions Mercedes were also impressed by Haas, with the German squad tipping them to surprise throughout the upcoming season. Despite only entering its third season in Formula 1, it is believed Haas could be fighting for fifth in the championship this year.

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However, Steiner says that only running in Australia this weekend will provide a true insight into how the team is shaping up for the nine months ahead: "I would say we’ll know the potential of the car after qualifying in Australia. After the test, we can say we’re in the midfield, and hopefully in the top half of the midfield - I think we are cautiously optimistic," he said.

"Every season, or at least just before the start, is the most challenging, as you don’t know what you’re going to be in for. You don’t know how strong the opposition is. It’s always a challenge, but there’s not one more than the other. It’s always a big challenge every year.

"I would say the guys did a very good job on aero and design to get a car that is better balanced than the 2017 car. Then again, we’ll only see in Australia how it stacks up against the other cars."

2018 will be Magnussen's fourth full season in F1 and his second with Haas. On his race debut in 2014 with McLaren, the Dane scored a podium at the Australian Grand Prix. While such a result would be a major shock this time around, the 25-year-old would be happy to grab some points at Albert Park.

"It’s going to be a good season, another good season. The first two for the team have been quite successful. It’s going to be difficult to improve them but, of course, that is our aim. I think simply if we get points [in Melbourne], we’ll be happy. We’ll go from there.

"Australia’s cool because it’s part street circuit, part road course. It’s got the feeling of being a street circuit, but it has the flow of a permanent road course. It’s tricky because it’s bumpy in places, braking zones are twisty, and corners are tight in places. That said, it still has some good, high-speed sections like Turn 11."

Fergal Walsh