Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying: Kevin Magnussen takes pole position

2 years ago 40

Kevin Magnussen caused a sensation astatine the Sao Paulo Grand Prix by qualifying his Haas car connected rod presumption for Saturday's sprint race.

The Dane, who returned to Formula 1 this play aft a one-year hiatus, took his and his team's archetypal rod with a singular show astatine Interlagos.

Magnussen nailed the lone adust thigh earlier a reddish flag, during which rainfall started to fall.

He volition commencement Saturday's sprint contention up of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Mercedes' George Russell was third, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton successful eighth.

And determination was embarrassment for Ferrari, who made the latest successful a bid of strategy blunders this play by sending Charles Leclerc retired connected intermediate tyres for the commencement of the last session.

Ferrari allowed themselves to beryllium tricked by the upwind forecast that predicted rain, but it did not travel soon enough, and determination were recriminations implicit the vigor arsenic Leclerc realised everyone other had managed to bash a thigh and helium would beryllium starting 10th.

Magnussen was disbelieving, grinning receptor to receptor successful the car arsenic it became evident the upwind was excessively bedewed for anyone to amended erstwhile the league resumed, and past jumping retired of the car and celebrating with his squad afterwards.

How did that happen?

It was a stunning show from Magnussen, and 1 that volition spell down arsenic 1 of the biggest shocks successful F1 history.

Haas got him retired connected way first, truthful helium had a wide lap, and helium conscionable nailed the thigh and ended up 0.207 seconds faster than two-time champion Verstappen, who admitted helium had ruined his ain chances by locking up astatine Turn Eight.

Before helium had returned to the pits, helium asked the squad wherever helium was. When helium was told: "P1", helium replied: "You're kidding me. I've ne'er felt this mode successful my life."

He past cautioned the squad not to observe excessively soon, but erstwhile the rainfall came down during the break, his rod was acceptable successful concrete.

"I don't cognize what to say," Magnussen said afterwards. "The squad enactment maine retired connected way astatine precisely the close moment. We were the archetypal retired successful the pit lane and did a beauteous decent thigh and we're connected pole. lt's incredible."

Magnussen thanked the Haas team, who brought him backmost this twelvemonth and gave him a accidental to revive his vocation aft dropping him astatine the extremity of 2020 erstwhile they dropped Russian Nikita Mazepin pursuing the penetration of Ukraine.

"Thank you to the team, to Gene Haas" helium said. "I got backmost this twelvemonth aft a twelvemonth retired and it's conscionable fantastic."

What other happened?

It was Russell who caused the reddish emblem that defined the league - helium mislaid power astatine Turn Four trying a 2nd lap, getting his extracurricular wheels connected the achromatic enactment and spinning into the gravel trap.

He looked similar helium would beryllium capable to get out, arsenic helium reached the asphalt flight roadworthy betwixt the gravel and barrier, but helium spun the Mercedes erstwhile helium got there, and became beached.

Russell said: "Happy to beryllium P3 and monolithic congrats to Kevin - what an awesome occupation helium did and Haas. P3 is not needfully wherever we wanted to beryllium but a precise bully spot to beryllium starting the sprint race.

"Our champion changeable of trying to get up of Max is to person immoderate mixed conditions."

McLaren's Lando Norris volition commencement fourth, up of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, followed by Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who was stuck down Leclerc connected his lap.

More Ferrari dismay

Ferrari, meanwhile, recovered themselves with much questions to inquire astir their contention absorption aft scuppering Leclerc's chances.

They had already had 1 misunderstanding earlier successful practice, erstwhile they fumbled a tyre alteration successful the pit lane erstwhile changing from intermediate tyres to slicks during the archetypal qualifying session, and Leclerc was near asking what was going connected arsenic his car sat without wheels with Sainz waiting down for his tyres.

But that was thing compared to what happened successful Q3.

The cardinal portion of immoderate tyre prime is to beryllium connected the close ones astatine the close time, but Ferrari got up of themselves and gambled connected sending Leclerc retired connected intermediates erstwhile the incoming rainfall had not started.

"Am I the lone 1 connected inters," Leclerc asked arsenic helium near the pits.

Further astir the lap, helium said: "There's nary rain," but was told: "Rain astatine Turn 12, we believe."

His technologist past made a frantic telephone to effort to get him to pit, shouting: "Box, box, box," implicit the vigor arsenic helium completed the retired lap.

But Leclerc, realising that rainfall was arriving and that this whitethorn good beryllium his fastest thigh of the league adjacent connected the incorrect tyres, rebuffed them. "Guys, I request to propulsion now," helium said.

Afterwards, erstwhile asked wherever helium was, helium replied sarcastically: "Nice. Beautiful." And past shouted a curse word, frustrated to beryllium starting a contention for which helium should astatine slightest person been connected the beforehand enactment down successful 10th.

"We were expecting immoderate rainfall which ne'er came," helium said erstwhile retired of the car. "I volition talk with the squad and effort to recognize what we tin bash amended successful those conditions. Extremely disappointed. The gait was there, but whatever."

Read Entire Article