Kevin Magnussen Back With A Bang, Qualifies Seventh

Kevin Magnussen - 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying
Kevin Magnussen - 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying

Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher qualified 7th and 12th respectively for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Round 1 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at Bahrain International Circuit.

Haas F1 Team advanced both its drivers into Q2 qualifying for the first time since the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix. Magnussen led the way in Q1 with a best effort of 1:31.955 (P5) on the Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires. Schumacher, like his teammate, set his fastest time on his second set of fresh softs, the German clocking a 1:32.380 (P13) to enter Q2 for only the third time in his Formula 1 career.

A blistering Q2 lap of 1:31.461 from Kevin Magnussen, on the soft C3 tire, saw the Dane advance his VF-22 into Q3 on his return to Formula 1 – also the first top 10 appearance by a Haas car in qualifying since Brazil 2019. Schumacher’s session ended after the 22-year-old had to abort his second flying run on new softs. Schumacher’s fastest effort, a 1:31.998, left him 12th overall on the timesheet – the best qualifying performance of his Formula 1 career to-date.

Magnussen was a late runner in Q3, the 29-year-old joining the final session with just three minutes to the checkered after the team worked on a hydraulic issue that had presented itself in Q2. Despite having only one run to go for it, Magnussen didn’t hold back on-track clocking a 1:31.808 to seal seventh on the grid for Sunday’s 57-lap Bahrain Grand Prix.

Kevin Magnussen

“It’s crazy. This is all we ever could’ve hoped for – I’m speechless. The last couple of weeks have been insane. Getting here, learning about the car, seeing that it is maybe a pretty good one and being so anxious about this qualifying to really see how it is and then finding out it is really good. I got through to Q3 on one set of tires and in Q2 I only ran one set – I think I was P4 or something after the first run and ended up P7. Then we had some issue that needed more time to fix so we only got that one run again Q3 and still managed to get P7. It’s just so cool and I can’t wait to get started.”

Mick Schumacher

“Q3 was definitely possible today and I’m gutted that I didn’t get there. The good thing is that we know we have the potential and it’s just a matter of putting it together over the next 23 races. Points is realistic, we have a car to do that, it’s just a matter of putting everything together. We have a lot of races coming our way so I’m sure we’ll be in a position to do that.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

“It was another exciting day for us again. We had a very good result, qualifying P7 and P12 is something we dreamt of at the end of last season and the beginning of this year. Now we’ve done it, but I think there is more to come from us this year.”

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