Magnussen reflects on Haas 'impossibility'

Kevin Magnussen believes the highlight of Haas' 2022 season should have been an 'impossibility'.

Magnussen took advantage of changeable conditions to nail a perfect lap at the start of Q3 for the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos in mid-November before a crash for George Russell curtailed the session, leading to no further meaningful running.

It allowed the 30-year-old to secure his maiden F1 pole and the first for Haas, whilst the result also meant he was the only non-Red Bull, Ferrari, or Mercedes driver to start from top spot on the grid across the year.

Magnussen also made the history books as only the second driver to top qualifying using Ferrari power not driving for the factory team. Sebastian Vettel was the first with Toro Rosso at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Asked if the result ignited the same fire within him as when he was fighting for podiums in sportscars during his year away from F1, speaking to GPFans in an end-of-season interview, Magnussen said: “Yeah, it certainly did something.

"It showed that these things can and do happen.

“It feels very good when you are such a small little team. For Haas, to be on pole position, was just phenomenal.

“In Q3, there were two Mercedes, two Ferraris and two Red Bulls, and we beat them.

“When you actually know how we work as a team and how little the organisation is compared to these big organisations, it's just impossible that we should be on pole position ever.

"But we were, and it was a great moment for all of us.”

Additional reporting by Sam Hall