Kevin Magnussen of Haas Scores His First Formula 1 Pole Position in Brazil

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen just scored his first-ever pole position in Formula 1 during the Brazilian Grand Prix. Yes, I intended to write that sentence. It’s not April Fool’s Day. Kevin Magnussen is polesitter for Saturday’s sprint race.

Rain clouds threatened Interlagos during the first two qualifying sessions, but drops didn’t fall until the final session, Q3. As a result, those first laps on track in Q3 were absolutely critical — and so was the position in which drivers left the pit lane. Drivers lined up at pit exit in hopes of setting a fast lap before the rain came, and Haas managed to secure a front position. That gave Magnussen prime track position to set the fastest lap of the session.

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With a handful of times on the board, rain began to fall — and Magnussen maintained that top slot: a 1:11.674.

Then, Mercedes’ George Russell lost control of his car and beached it in the gravel. Paired with weather, the session was red-flagged briefly; when it re-started, there was no way anyone could set a faster time. Magnussen beamed in the cockpit as he waited for the official call, which finally came just two minutes before the session ended.