Kevin Magnussen won the São Paulo Grand Prix qualifying, securing not only his first career F1 pole position, but also giving Haas the team’s first pole position in team history. His team-mate Mick Schumacher set a 20th fastest time, which significantly deteriorated his negotiating position with Haas to extend his contract for the following season.
Kevin Magnussen (1st): “I haven’t held such a high position in a long time and I still can’t believe it. Phenomenal teamwork – they made sure I was the first to leave the pits, when it was in its best shape. Then it started to rain, which was crucial.
I did my best in the final. The track was not completely dry, it was drizzling with rain – such conditions are ideal for our car.
Fighting with Max in the beginning? I’m a racer, I start from pole position, so I tune for maximum attack.
Mick Schumacher (20th): “First of all, congratulations to Kevin and the team – a well deserved result. As for my speech, I am confused. Maybe I underestimated the grip on asphalt.
The track looked quite wet, but in reality it was not the same as I thought. The result is very disappointing and there is still a lot of work to be done in the sprint, but I am ready.”
Gunther Steiner, Team Leader: “Great day for the Haas team! We worked and waited for this for seven years – the result shows that hard work always pays off. It’s important to be in the right place at the right time, but I don’t think it was luck – we worked to get to that situation.
When the opportunity presented itself, Kevin rode his lap better than his rivals in difficult conditions. The whole team thanks him – a great birthday present for our boss. I told Gene Haas that we gifted him a day before because we couldn’t reschedule qualifying.
Mick was fast on medium tires but unfortunately he couldn’t feel the car after switching to slicks.
Now we are fully focused on the sprint as the team continues to compete for eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship. We will do our utmost to achieve this result. Thanks to the whole team and the fans for their support all along.”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
