Formula 1
YEEEEE HAAAAA! K-MAG ON POLE IN BRAZIL!!!!!
Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher qualified 1st and 20th respectively for Saturday’s 24-lap Sprint race – the result of which will then determine the grid for Sunday’s 71-lap São Paulo Grand Prix, Round 21 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship hosted at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
The single free practice before qualifying saw both VF-22s fully utilize the one hour session – sampling all three tire compounds – focused on getting to grips with the 4.309-kilometer (2.677 mile) 15-turn circuit. Both Schumacher and Magnussen completed their run plans without issue, finishing FP1 in P8 and P16 respectively.
As rain fell in the interval, Q1 saw both Magnussen and Schumacher leave the garage on Pirelli Cinturato Green Intermediate tires. Magnussen’s fastest lap time on the green rubber (1:18.423) was deleted for track limits at Turn 8 as Schumacher posted a quickest time of 1:18.450. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was the first to brave the Red soft tire and with sectors turning purple, both Magnussen and Schumacher, along with the rest of the grid, opted to follow suit. Magnussen comfortably bettered his lap time to advance to Q2 (1:13.954), whereas Schumacher was unable to capitalize in drying conditions, finishing P20 with a quickest time of 1:16.361.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 11: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 11, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
Q2 proceeded with weather conditions remaining mixed, Magnussen setting his first lap with a time of 1:12.280. Coming back into the garage and bolting a fresh set of Red softs on, the Dane advanced to Q3 finishing the session in 7th, with a fastest lap time of 1:11.410.
For Q3, the sky began to darken again, and Magnussen started the session on a new set of Red soft tires. His first lap time of a 1:11.674 took him to the top of the timings before Mercedes’ George Russell brought out a red flag for beaching his car at Turn 4. The stricken Mercedes removed, the session resumed with eight minutes on the clock but with rain falling no improvement could be made, meaning Kevin Magnussen secured his maiden pole position in Formula 1, fittingly on the weekend of his 100th Grand Prix start for Haas F1 Team.
Kevin Magnussen, Driver No. 20, Haas F1 Team
“It’s incredible. I want to say thank you to Gene Haas, Guenther and the whole team for taking me back on and giving me the opportunity to have a day like this – I’m so chuffed. The team put me out in the pitlane as the first car and that was the gamechanger. It gave me the best piece of track as it started to rain and we got pole. It was the longest minute of my life trying to stay calm as it looked like it was going to be wet but you never know. I’m so happy.”