Kevin Magnussen went into the Miami Grand Prix dreaming of more than the single point he scored but was otherwise left satisfied.
The Haas driver finished 10th after starting from the second row and found himself embroiled in a battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen won the race after starting ninth at the head of a Red Bull one-two – the fourth of the year – in a race that saw all 20 cars reach the finish.
“It’s been a strong weekend very solid,” Magnussen said.
“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.”
Having started fourth, Magnussen slipped to seventh on the opening lap before battling with Leclerc.
That saw the pair swap places, the Haas driver holding the advantage until pitting the Haas on Lap 14.
The duo encountered each other again on Lap 37, though on that occasion Leclerc was able to scythe his way through.
“I had a shitty start, just got wheelspin immediately,” Magnussen recalled.
“Then had a long fight with Leclerc which was tough on my tyres – probably should have looked after my tyres a little more in hindsight.
“It’s fun to race, of course,” he added.
“But I would have preferred to not race and just be in front!”
Team boss Guenther Steiner was predictably pleased with the result.
“Out of five races, we score three times points, which is not bad,” he said.
“When we qualify in the top 10 we can bring home some points.
“Obviously, if everyone finishes like here, it’s very difficult but in the end we did, we got a point, and that’s what it will be this year – just every little bit you can have, let’s take it home. Leave nothing on the road.
“As much as you want more, we need to be happy with what you got.”
Haas sits seventh in the constructors’ championship with seven points from the first five races.
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