Magnussen feared qualifying "over" before "crazy" Haas record

Kevin Magnussen has revealed he thought his Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying was "over" after a mistake in Q3 before going on to set the fourth-fastest time.

The Dane's performance was Haas' best qualifying performance in F1 since it joined the grid in 2016 and is a continuation of the team's startling turnaround from last year's miserable campaign.

But the session was not smooth sailing for Magnussen, who having negotiated red flag stoppages in Q1 and Q2 triggered one of his own when spinning into the gravel at Acque Minerali in Q3.

But keeping the engine alive, Magnussen was able to recover his VF-22 and return to the pits, before posting the fourth quickest time.

Explaining his incident, Magnussen said: "You want to get as wide as possible before turning in and getting as close to that white line but I didn't think I hit it.

"I think I just locked the rears and when they fully lock, I just lost it completely. I went through the gravel and I thought it was over."

Addressing Haas' record performance, he added: "It is fantastic.

"It is so unexpected, even now after a good race in Bahrain and in Jeddah, it is still just so cool to be in this position and fighting so close to the top.

"I mean we were stronger in the wet than we are going to be in the dry but still, it is crazy."

On what his prospects for the 100km sprint are, Magnussen insisted: "I want to finish in the top three, I want to win tomorrow!

"That will be super hard, top eight, that will be great."

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