SHANGHAI, CHINA - APRIL 09: Kevin Magnussen of Denmark driving the (20) Haas F1 Team Haas-Ferrari VF-17 Ferrari on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on April 9, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Haas F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean qualified ninth for Sunday evening's Bahrain Grand Prix. The Frenchman set the 11th-fastest time in Q1 with a lap of 1:31.691 advancing him easily into Q2.

From there he earned the ninth fastest time with a lap of 1:30.857, which was a .834 of a second improvement from his Q1 time.

In Q3 for the fourth time as a Haas F1 Team driver and the second time this season, Grosjean acquitted himself well.

His fast lap of 1:30.763 was .094 of a second better than his Q2 time and it allowed him to outpace the Renault of Jolyon Palmer to earn a ninth-place starting spot.

Grosjean started ninth in last year's Bahrain Grand Prix before finishing fifth, which remains Haas F1 Team's best result.

Earlier in the afternoon, Grosjean spun at the exit of turn four. The front of his car touched the barrier, knocking off the wing. The damage was negligible, however, as Grosjean was able to drive back to the garage and have it replaced. Quick work by the crew allowed him to complete five more laps before the session ended.

“It's been great to turn around the day as we did. We really struggled in FP3. I couldn't feel the car. The guys did a great job setting it up for qualifying and the car felt much better from the first run in Q1. That was good and I'm very happy where we are. We're in a great place to start the race. Last year we started P9 and finished fifth, so anything is possible. It's going to be a long race. Tire degradation is going to be a big thing here. I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes tomorrow and seeing what we can do from ninth.”