The Dane only got the call to drive in F1 this season a few weeks ago, after Haas cancelled Nikita Mazepin's contract.
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In Bahrain qualifying, Charles Leclerc may have taken pole ahead of Max Verstappen, but Kevin Magnussen’s performance on his return to F1 was arguably the highlight of the day. The Dane only got the call to drive in F1 this season a few weeks ago, after Haas cancelled Nikita Mazepin’s contract. After Magnussen was replaced for the 2021 season, Guenther Steiner reportedly wanted to bring him back to the team. With only one point in 2020, Magnussen’s previous season at Haas was a disappointment, with the American team once again competing at the back of the grid last season.
Read More – Bahrain GP qualifying: Charles Leclerc takes pole, Max Verstappen clinches P2
But, as pre-season testing revealed last week, they’ve discovered something special in their VF-22 this time around. There was still some uncertainty about where they would go for qualifying, but it was clear from the start in Q1. For the first time since 2019, Magnussen qualified inside the top ten for Q3, with teammate Mick Schumacher just missing out.
As Haas frantically worked on his car, it appeared that Magnussen would not get out for a run in the final session. But the team fixed the car in time for Magnussen to get one run, and he finished ahead of both Fernando Alonso and George Russell to claim seventh place on the grid.
“I’m super happy,” Magnussen said on Sky Sports. “It’s been a massive rollercoaster from getting the call from Guenther and getting surprised by that.”
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“And then trying to make it happen. There was some obstacles that I had to sort out and that already a bit nervous. Then getting here and driving the car for the first time and having a sore neck. You hope the car is good, you never really know with Formula One testing and now here having an issue in qualifying and not thinking we could get out in Q3, what a rollercoaster,” the Dane added.
In a qualifying session that went down to the wire in Bahrain, Charles Leclerc took the first pole position of the 2022 Formula One World Championship, ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. In Q1, Ferarri’s Leclerc was the fastest, but Red Bull’s Verstappen fought back in Q2, qualifying for the top-10 shootout in one go. In Q3, the stage was set for a showdown between the champion and the prancing horse.
