Image Credits - Daily express
Haas entered Q3 for the first time in more than two years thanks to the brilliance of Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen will start the Bahrain Grand Prix in a Haas in P7 on Sunday. Do not scratch your eyes. You read that right. The Danish driver, who made a return to F1 only a few weeks ago, reached the top 10 shootout, edging out youth and veterans to take a surprising seventh place on the grid for tomorrow.
His Haas team were also stunned by the achievement and put out an appreciative tweet for Magnussen. Magnussen’s teammate Mick Schumacher also impressed, finishing P12.
Haas, who had a number of obstacles to deal with before the season began, were tipped to be fighting for places at the back of the grid. But Schumacher and Magnussen look like they may be competing for points this campaign.
Magnussen replaced Russian driver Nikita Mazepin at Haas just a few days before the pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Dane last drove for Haas in 2020 and previously admitted that he felt as if his F1 days were already behind him.
But Magnussen took less to no time to get to grips with his newly-designed Haas car. He initially shocked F1 fans when he managed to put his Haas into Q2. Although he had some problems with his hydraulics after the session, the experienced campaigner pulled together a surprising run to make a push for Q3.
In the top 10 shootout, he edged out the likes of two-time World champion Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ George Russell to claim P7. The last time Haas managed to get into Q3 was back in 2019 at the Brazilian GP.
Magnussen later revealed that it was a ‘crazy’ session and he was left ‘speechless’ by what just happened. He will now be hoping to continue his impressive run on Sunday for the Bahrain GP.
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