Kevin Magnussen: “The team has put me in the ideal position&;

Magnussen will have taken advantage of the multiple red flags and the rain that allowed him to stay in the lead until the end of Q3, beating the world champion Max Verstappen as well as George Russell. The weather conditions allowed the Haas driver to start first on the track at the beginning of the session reserved for the top 10.

This is certainly one of the most unexpected pole positions in the history of F1. Magnussen initially took the provisional pole followed by Verstappen. The damp track caused by rain showers forced all drivers to switch to intermediate tires. However, the session was later interrupted due to Russell’s off-track excursion in turn 4. Although he was in third position behind the two men. This mistake by the British driver required the use of red flags, forcing all cars to return to the pit lane. In the end, a miraculous rain prevented the session from resuming and gave Magnussen and Haas their first pole position.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said afterwards. “The team put me in the perfect position, had a decent lap, and we are on pole! It’s incredible, thank you. Thanks to Gene Haas, Günther, and the whole team for this opportunity. I came back this year after a year off, and it’s an amazing adventure. The guys in the garage and on the pit wall played it perfectly by putting me out as the first car on track, and that’s what really made the difference: giving me the best part of the track.”

The team principal of Haas was also very enthusiastic: “I am obviously happy for the team. I always tell them to work hard and believe in ourselves, and that the results will come afterwards. And there you have it, it happened. You have to believe in it, never give up.” However, he remains realistic: “I hope we can stay in the points tomorrow. We obviously won’t win the race, we’re not dreaming.”

This pole position for Magnussen is, however, bad news for Mick Schumacher who finished last in qualifying. He will start at the back of the grid in the sprint race, even though his place at Haas in 2023 is being challenged by Nico Hülkenberg…