SAO PAULO – Kevin Magnussen shocked Formula 1 in Brazil grand opening qualified by taking pole position for the sprint at Interlagos on Friday.
This was the first pole in 142 laps for the Dane, who celebrated by turning his face to the camera before the third qualifying round ended. He then jumped into his car and punched the air in the drizzle. He gave his Haas team boss Guenther Steiner an emotional hug.
“The team put me on the right track at the right time,” says Magnussen excitedly.
When asked if he wanted to earn the pole, he replied: “Not even close. Unbelievable.”
Magnussen begins at F1 in 2014 and returned to the series this year after a year-long absence as a replacement for Russian driver Nikita Mazepin.
On the team radio, Magnussen was even more excited: “I’ve never felt like this in my life,” he said, a few minutes ago, when it was announced he was in first place. , he replied, “You’re kidding.”
Meanwhile, Haas teammate Mick Schumacher, who is still looking for a spot for next season, finished in 20th and last place unsurprisingly.
Steiner said on Thursday that he has yet to decide whether Schumacher will run for the team next year, and he expects a decision to be made next week. Schumacher has only earned 12 points this season. Magnussen has the tiny number 24.
Magnussen was almost five seconds faster than Schumacher. The champion of the world Max Verstappen second by almost two tenths of a second. Mercedes‘George Russell came in third.
Qualifiers were delayed due to rain, which helped Magnussen. The last five minutes of the session were severely affected by wet sugar.
Haas said of Magnussen’s pole position with some skepticism: “What did we just do?” group posted on Twitter. “It was a Viking show!”
Friday’s results set the grid for Saturday’s sprint, which will determine the starting positions for Sunday’s race at Interlagos.
by Ferrari Carlos Sainz, who will start the sprint in fifth place, will be penalized five places from the grid for Sunday’s race. The Spaniard added a new internal combustion engine at the weekend, his sixth penalty of the season.
Red bull Sergio Perez, who is still fighting for a runner-up in the drivers’ championship, finished first in freestyle practice earlier on Friday. He had a design on his helmet in collaboration with Disney.
“It was for the movie Black Panther, a movie that represents a lot of my country,” said the Mexican driver. “The helmet itself is unique and I really like it.”
Perez will start the sprint, which is expected to be met with rain again, in ninth place.
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