Haas’ Kevin Magnussen is hoping that the next upgrade for the team can help them compete with Alpine and McLaren at the top of the midfield.
For the first time since 2018, the American side have scored points in both of the last two rounds after Mick Schumacher finally found his points-scoring form.
The recent points haul has lifted them above AlphaTauri and into seventh in the Constructors’ Standings, and there may be more to come.
Though Haas are generally starting to focus on next season’s development, they have changes coming for this season’s car too.
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While there is reason for optimism, Magnussen warns that upgrades do not always work the way you want them to.
“It is exciting, but you’ve got to be careful with these upgrades sometimes,” he said.
“The other teams don’t seem to have found so much with theirs and hopefully, we can find something with ours.
“But it’s not like I’m expecting a huge change in the picture; if you can make a slight step forward, that’s good.”
Magnussen and Schumacher spent much of the Austrian Grand Prix battling the likes of Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, proving that they have genuinely competitive pace to unlock.
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As a result, the 29-year-old’s ambitions are clear – he wants Haas to be best of the rest.
“No one knows what is possible, but certainly [in Austria] we were sort of the fourth-, fifth-fastest team,” stated Magnussen.
“Certainly Alpine, McLaren and ourselves looked very strong in that midfield and if we can stick with them that is a massive jump for us.
“We are on par with them now and we don’t have an upgrade so, hopefully, when we get that upgrade, it can put us in front of that midfield.”
Magnussen is 11th in the Drivers’ Championship, 10 points ahead of 15th-placed team-mate Schumacher going into round 12 of the season in France this weekend.