With both championships long settled and the end of an intense season to date within sight, Brazil was hardly being hyped up as being a big weekend for Formula 1.
In fact, in the lead-up to the start of qualifying, I was discussing with some friends how this season feels like it has dragged on, particularly since Max Verstappen clinched his second title and made the remaining rounds dead rubbers. Negative? Yes. But mentally, many within F1 are already thinking of the winter break that is less than two weeks away.
But then along came Kevin Magnussen and Haas to remind us of the magic that F1 can conjure up when you least expect it, and why underdogs in both the series and in wider sport matter so, so much.
Interlagos has a funny habit of throwing up shock results like this. Think of Giancarlo Fisichella’s victory amid the chaos of 2003, Nico Hulkenberg sticking his Williams on pole in the damp as a rookie in 2010, or Pierre Gasly’s redemptive podium in 2019. All three were proper feel-good results – and now we have another to add to the collection.
Magnussen had looked punchy through the first two stages of qualifying en route to Q3. He even noted the small gaps to the frontrunners while sat waiting for the session to begin. “I was looking at the times after Q2, and thinking maybe this could be my smallest margin to pole position in my career,” he said after the session. “And I was right!”
The stars naturally had to align for Magnussen – getting to the head of the queue; Max Verstappen making his mistake; George Russell going off when he did and the red flag coming out – but what followed was a little over 10 minutes of F1 theatre that will live long in the memory.
The Haas garage being at the end of pitlane became a key factor in Magnussen grabbing pole
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“You’re kidding…” came Magnussen’s reply when he was told that he was P1 while circulating back to the pits under the red flag, the realisation of what might be about to happen kicking in. “I’ve never, ever felt like this in my life guys.” He was quick to warn: “Don’t celebrate yet!” There was still time on the clock, and the rain was yet to fully arrive.
“It just felt scary, because there was still time left, eight minutes,” Magnussen explained after the session. “I couldn’t really see how much it had been raining when I got back in the garage. If the session restarts, is the track going to be good enough for…
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