Kevin Magnussen takes shock pole in wet Brazilian GP qualifying
Kevin Magnussen claimed the first pole position of his career for the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix after setting the fastest lap in qualifying just before a red flag paused the session and rain arrived
The Brazilian Grand Prix has a habit of producing the unexpected, but nobody could have predicted that qualifying would end with Kevin Magnussen taking the first pole position of his 140-race career.
The Haas driver will start at the front of tomorrow’s sprint race after a popular and wildly celebrated result in a rain-affected session.
Following a wet start to qualifying, the track dried but dark clouds still threatened and as the final Q3 segment began, drivers knew that they had only a few minutes to set a time before another downpour arrived.
They had even less time than they thought — just enough for one flying lap before George Russell beached himself in the gravel of Turn 4, bringing out the red flag.
Topping the table at that point was Magnussen, who had been out on track first. His 1min 11.674sec lap was 0.2sec faster than Max Verstappen‘s, and four-tenths faster than Russell, who had put himself third before his off.
Magnussen was first out in Q3, with minutes to go before the rain arrived
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As the rain started to pour down before the restart, realisation in the Haas garage slowly grew, first with nervous smiles on the faces of the mechanics, then chuckles, with Magnussen’s grin visible through his visor.
Finally, with two minutes remaining and the track getting wetter and wetter, the pitbox erupted and Magnussen leapt out of his car into the arms of his ecstatic mechanics.
“You’re kidding me, I’ve never ever felt like this in my life guys,” Magnussen had said over the radio when told that he was first, on his way back to the pits.
He had more time to compose himself when the pole was confirmed. “I got back this year after a year out and it’s just been an amazing journey,” he said, partly crediting his pole to being first out on track in Q3. “We were the first out in the pitlane, I did a decent lap and we’re on pole. It’s incredible.”
Speaking about starting on pole for the sprint race, Magnussen said: “Maximum attack, let’s go for something funny.”
Later, while speaking to Sky Sports, he was asked whether he would go for the win: “Absolutely, I’m a racing driver!” Magnussen added that the pole position meant more to him than finishing on the podium for McLaren in his debut race in 2014.
“It’s more surprising, definitely: I think it feels better. I didn’t know what to expect back then. I came in as this arrogant little kid thinking I was the king of the world and then I had a lot of lessons after that, showing how difficult it actually is in this sport and now I’m on pole position so I’m just going to enjoy it.
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Drivers began Q1 with intermediate tyres, after the rain fell on Interlagos between FP1 and qualifying. The increasingly dry track would soon render those times redundant.
Pierre Gasly was the first to switch to slicks and, after an initial slow lap, vaulted to the top of the timing sheets.
By then, the rest of the field were following suit — Charles Leclerc being delayed by tyre confusion at Ferrari — and the times kept improving as drivers hit the top and were then pushed down almost immediately.
However, the track was still dry and the cars went out on soft tyres, except for Leclerc who emerged on intermediate tyres in the hope and expectation that rain would start falling immediately.
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Led by Magnussen, the other nine cars raced around in an effort to beat the predicted deluge but there wasn’t much racing from Sergio Perez, trapped behind Leclerc for most of his first flying lap. He crossed the line to set the ninth fastest time, faster only than Leclerc who had pulled into the pits when the team accepted his gamble hadn’t worked.
With 8min 10sec to go, the red flag was waved after Russell ran off under braking and into the gravel trap at Turn 4, beaching himself when he tried to put the power down to escape back onto the track.
Magnussen could barely believe that he was on provisional pole, while Leclerc resorted to sarcasm when he was told that all other drivers had set a time. “Nice, beautiful,” he said.
The rain started to come down while Russell’s Mercedes was recovered and as the session was restarted, the question was whether the track was too wet for drivers to improve their times. The silence on the circuit spoke volumes.
Russell congratulates Magnussen after securing his third place when he went off
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Leclerc was already out of his car and walked over top the pitwall. Verstappen had taken his helmet out and a relieved-looking Russell smiled as he realised his second-row slot was secure.
Hamilton did come out on intermediate tyres with 3min to go, but came straight back into the pits, with no prospect of improving his time.
By now, the Haas mechanics were slapping Magnussen — still in the cockpit — in congratulation, and he jumped out of the car in celebration.
“It was not luck, it was well deserved from the driver and the team,” said Haas boss Guenther Steiner. “Being on the right tyres at the right time and the driver putting a lap down… a perfect lap down.
“When it rains soup you have to have a spoon, and he had the spoon.
“Today when it counted, everybody went out there quick on the slicks. I think the other cars, only 20 or 30 seconds behind him, they couldn’t do what he did.
” The whole team deserves this. We always work hard, we never give up, we keep on fighting. We’ll always have naysayers but welcome to our pole position naysayers!”
