Haas F1 Team Ends Long Dry Spell with Points on Home Turf

• Kevin Magnussen scored an eighth-place finish for Haas F1 at Circuit of the Americas.

• It marked Haas’ first top-10 finish since the Austrian Grand Prix in July and Haas' first points at the U.S. Grand Prix since Romain Grosjean's 10th-place finish in 2016.

• The points gives the team a slender two-point buffer over AlphaTauri in the battle for eighth in the Constructors' Championship.

The American-based Haas F1 Team had been on a dismal run of results in the build-up to its home race at Circuit of the Americas, as it chased points in the U.S. for the first time since Romain Grosjean's 10th-place finish at COTA in 2016.

A double knockout in the third round of qualifying on Saturday of race weekend did not augur well for its prospects, but it started both drivers on hard tires and was handed a slice of luck when the pair were able to minimize time loss by pitting behind a early Safety Car.

Kevin Magnussen preserved his medium tires through the second half of the race to finish ninth, having run as high as sixth, which included a brilliant final lap scrap against Sebastian Vettel. Magnussen was ultimately classified in eighth place following Fernando Alonso's 30-second penalty announced after the race.

It marked Haas’ first top-10 finish this season since the Austrian GP in July and gives the team a slender two-point lead over AlphaTauri in the battle for eighth in the Constructors' Championship.

“I’m super happy,” said Magnussen. “For us as a team, it’s very important to get these points at our home race in the U.S.—and it’s very big on the weekend that we announce a great title sponsor with MoneyGram—it couldn’t come at a better time. As such a small team to put on a fight like this, it’s great.”

Mick Schumacher picked up damage, thought to have been caused by debris from the Stroll/Alonso accident, that robbed him of downforce and hobbled his prospects. He finished 14th for his eighth consecutive race outside the top 10 and the points.

"After two difficult days, a good result," said Haas team principal Guenther Steiner. "The whole team did a fantastic job, you cannot ask for more as the car was fast and Kevin was sure he could get to the end with his tires.

"I wouldn’t say we took a gamble, we took a chance, but we had a back-up strategy to go onto the soft tires and we brought home some points. I’m not really happy about what happened out there with the other cars that are losing bits and pieces and don’t get called in like we normally do, so we will follow-up on that one. Mick had very good pace on his first stint, doing a fantastic job and then when the accident happened he must’ve picked up some debris and lost some downforce. We haven’t seen the car yet but I guess the diffuser has got some damage and he just couldn’t do the same times with the new set of tires."