The 30-year-old also finished first in qualifying for the first time in his career.
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For the first time ever, a Haas driver will be on pole for a Formula One race.
On a rainy day in São Paulo, Kevin Magnussen expertly maneuvered his way through the conditions to earn the first F1 pole of his career at the São Paulo Grand Prix. The strong lap at the start of the third qualifying session–along with some fortuitous inclement weather–allowed the Danish driver to beat out two-time world champion Max Verstappen and Mercedes’s George Russell, who finished second and third respectively.
Magnussen had been moving well around the track at Interlagos all afternoon, finishing seventh in each of the first two qualifying periods. He then expertly positioned himself as the first driver to get out on the track at the start of Q3, a move that gave him a chance to put down the fastest lap of the session before the rain came pouring down.
A few drivers tried their luck on intermediate tires in the unsavory weather, but none could compete with the Haas driver’s lap time of 1:11.674.
“I don’t know what to say,” Magnussen said after the session. “The team put me out on the track at exactly the right moment. I mean we were first out of the pit lane and I did a pretty decent lap and we’re on pole. It’s incredible.”
Earlier in Q3, Russell lost control of his Mercedes after hitting the rumble strip and went spinning into the gravel. The session was red-flagged with eight minutes remaining, allowing extra time for the inclement weather to move in and effectively bring an early end to qualifying with Magnussen still atop the time sheet.
The performance from Magnussen, who returned to Haas this season after a year away from F1, will allow him to start at the front of the grid for Saturday’s sprint race at Interlagos. The results of the sprint will then dictate how the 20 drivers will line up for Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix.
Magnussen will now likely have a major role to play in both races, having entered the weekend in 13th place in the drivers’ standings with 24 points. Haas (36 points) is currently in eight place in the constructors’ championship, just a point ahead of AlphaTauri (35 points) and 13 points shy of Aston Martin (49 points), but stands to make up serious ground if Magnussen can stay competitive throughout the weekend.
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