Kevin Magnussen’s message on staff radio stated all of it.
“You’re kidding? You’re kidding. You might be kidding! You might be f***ing kidding me,” he stated when informed by his Haas race engineer he has pole place for Sunday’s dash race.
“I’ve by no means felt like this in my life. I do know, don’t have fun but. Don’t have fun but.”
Magnussen took full benefit of dramatically altering moist circumstances on the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to safe a sensational maiden pole place in his a centesimal Method One look for the Haas staff in Saturday morning’s qualifying session.
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As heavy rain descended on the Interlagos circuit, the ultimate Q3 session resulted in euphoric uproar with the favored and modest 30-year-old Dane sitting in his automotive celebrating whereas the clock ran down.
He grew to become the primary Danish pole-sitter and the primary to realize the feat for the Haas staff in his a hundred and fortieth Grand Prix and his staff’s 143rd.
The staff may barely imagine it.
“I don’t know what to say. The staff put me out on observe at precisely the best second. We’re on pole. It’s unbelievable,” he stated when interviewed after the session.
“It’s unbelievable. Thanks to Gene Haas and Guenther and the entire staff for this chance.
“It has simply been a tremendous journey. It’s unbelievable, thanks. Most assault, let’s go for one thing humorous.”
Magnussen clocked a finest lap in a single minute and 11.674 seconds earlier than a ultimate rainstorm wreaked havoc throughout which Mercedes’ George Russell crashed out and was left in a gravel entice.
He additionally grew to become the fourth driver to assert a maiden pole place this yr, following Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and George Russell.
World champion Max Verstappen of Pink Bull was second quickest forward of Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Carlos Sainz of Ferrari was fifth forward of Esteban Ocon and his Alpine teammate two-time champion Fernando Alonso, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Segio Perez of Pink Bull and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen and Russell warmly congratulated the Dane who appeared nearly bemused by his feat.
After a vivid, heat morning, qualifying started in damp circumstances, following a rainstorm, with heavy clouds overhead and all the early Q1 runners venturing out on ‘intermediate’ tyres.
Verstappen, Alonso and Ocon selected to delay their first foray whereas Hamilton reported ‘it’s fairly slippery’.
Leclerc set the early tempo earlier than Verstappen joined the fray and, nearly immediately, went high by two-tenths.
Alonso then took over earlier than Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri switched to ‘slicks’, a daring transfer. Initially, he struggled. Hamilton went high earlier than Gasly’s gambled paid off as he went quickest, sending everybody in for ‘slicks’.
This swept in a rush of more and more quick laps as Williams’ Nicholas Latifi, Norris after which Alex Albon of Williams clocked the quickest lap, leaving Ferrari trying each slow-witted in making a call for ‘slicks’ and on-track as Leclerc sought to flee the lower.
Leclerc’s frustrations started to boil over when he was blocked off by the slower Yuki Tsunoda because the Ferrari gun desperately tried to get out of the hazard zone.
“Yuki, come on,” he stated over the radio.
“What a joke, what a f***ing joke.”
He had been the one driver to return out on inters and it proved to be a blunder because the rain stayed away.
He later pitted for slicks and appeared lower than happy on the staff radio.
“Did everyone full a lap on the slicks,” he requested.
“Sure they did,” his staff answered again.
“Good, lovely. F***ing lovely,” he replied.
Sao Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying End result, Prime 10
1) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
2) Max Verstappen, Pink Bull
3) George Russell, Mercedes
4) Lando Norris, McLaren
5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
6) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
7) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
8) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
9) Sergio Perez, Pink Bull
10) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
