On the eve of team owner Gene Haas’ 70th birthday, the 30-year-old set the fastest time in a Q3 quarter, which was essentially finished after the start when George Russell spun into the gravel and set off the red flags. That means Magnussen, who often struggles to get through Q1, will be at the front of the grid for the sprint at Interlagos, ahead of Max Verstappen, the double World Champion, and Russell, as nobody could he goes faster after his accident. the rain began to intensify. Haas celebrated wildly in the garage with Magnussen still in the car as his pole was confirmed, the driver punching the car with glee in arguably the biggest F1 qualifying shock in years. It was a huge difference from Q1 in which Sergio Perez was four thousandths of a second faster than Charles Leclerc, but that was before the rain started to fall in Sao Paulo. He was at his heaviest about half an hour into qualifying, but had eased up by the time the cars left the pit lane. That still meant intermediate tires to start though and as Leclerc left he was told rain was expected in 10 minutes – which meant a banked lap as soon as possible could be vital in trying to make the Q1 cut. Lap times were initially around eight seconds lower than earlier and halfway through Q1, the AlphaTauri were the first to bite the bullet and make mistakes – clearly happy to take advantage of the possibility that Ferrari’s weather forecast was wrong. It was Pierre Gasly on the soft tyres, but although it wasn’t quite the ‘Bambi on ice’ scenario, his first attempt was nothing special – the second time was when he started setting ‘purple’ sectors, crossing the line faster by 0.425 seconds. This prompted others to quickly follow suit for the final stages. Going into the final two minutes, the top eight times were set on slicks and it was all about timing as the P1 slot changed hands every few seconds. Starting the last “hot” lap at the wrong time would spell disaster. Would there be a shock victim? Yes, in the shape of Valtteri Bottas, who was quick in FP1, coming out alongside his Alfa Romeo team-mate Zhou Guanyu. Also bowing out were Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Mick Schumacher (Haas) and Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri). Bottas admitted over team radio that he had “made the wrong call” by not switching to slicks earlier. Q2 started with DRS in use for the first time and rain near the radar but not falling on the circuit. In the early stages, the series almost looked like a lucky dip with Lando Norris, who was fastest in Q1, back on top and Alex Albon’s Williams in the top five. Several drivers reported raindrops and that was a concern for Hamilton, last of the 15 with seven minutes to go. Team-mate Russell improved from 12th to third and the seven-time former World Champion eased his worries by coming in right behind him. The Mercedes duo briefly looked to have the last of the favorable conditions, but faster times were still being achieved, Sainz jumping into P2 just when needed and Kevin Magnussen pulling off a surprise Q3 in the Haas. However, there would be no more running for Albon, Gasly, Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel – in the Interlagos swansong – and Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren). The penalty for sprint pole was going to depend on the weather and as the lights went green for Q3 the sky was getting darker, but nine of the 10 cars lined up on slicks – the exception being Leclerc on the grid. A Red Bull radio message to Verstappen initially suggested Ferrari might have made it for the Monegasque – “rain was coming in” – but this was not confirmed on the course as Leclerc had to abandon a first attempt and stop for slicks. As he did, Magnussen’s unlikely figure took an early provisional pole. This remarkable prospect was made more likely when Russell pitted his Mercedes, bringing out the red flags, British P3 at the time. The rain began to fall heavier, suggesting that when the session resumed, the conditions would not improve. Cue amused and worried faces in the Haas garage – and a ‘you’re kidding’ message from the stunned Dane when told his position. There were still over eight minutes to go, but it was intermediate and no DRS for Perez, who went first – and straight in.
Times
1 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:11.6742 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.2033 George Russell Mercedes +0.3854 Lando Norris McLaren +0.5895 Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.6836 Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.7517 Fernando +0.00l Mercedes 1 Williams +0.750 (Q2)12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +0.79413 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +0.79714 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +1.25915 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1 Mick Schumacher Speaks
