Haas return to where it all started one year on

Romain Grosjean returns to Australia for the Haas F1 Team

And the Banbury team made quite an impression with Romain Grosjean finishing sixth in the opener, the best debut for any team since 2002.

Now they return to Melbourne for Sunday’s 33rd Australian Grand Prix.

After building its first car under one set of FIA guidelines in 2016, a new set of technical regulations means another new car has been built from scratch.

After being the new kid on the block in 2016, the new rules bring at least shared newness among all teams. And there is also a new driver.

Kevin Magnussen joins Grosjean to form a formidable one-two punch that team owner Gene Haas thinks can advance his team in the construction standings.

Haas said: “It’ll be just as challenging as it was last year but I think with the knowledge we have, we should perform a little bit better this year. By the end of last season we silenced the critics and, now, most people see us as a serious competitor.”

With podium-placed drivers in Magnussen and Grosjean, the team is poised for improvement in its second season.