Kevin Magnussen was full of praise for his Haas team after he secured P4 in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Dane reached Q3 for the third time this season, though brought out a red flag early in the session when he went off track at Acqua Minerali in the damp conditions. He was able to get himself out of the gravel and back to the pits, and continued on in what was a chaotic remaining nine minutes. After a further two red flags, Magnussen ended the session in fourth, marking Haas' best-ever qualifying result.
Magnussen: The car was a joy to drive
Magnussen had complimentary words for the American squad following their latest achievement together. "It's another unbelievable result for us," he told media, including RacingNews365.com , after the session. "The car was just great, so fast and a joy to drive. I'm so proud of the team." The wet weather might have caused problems for some, but Magnussen felt that the VF-22 actually performed particularly well, and hopes to continue this momentum going into Saturday's Sprint. "It was a little more competitive in the wet, for some reason," the driver explained. "We made the tyres work better, but in the dry we got through to Q3 still in P7. [They weren't] fantastic laps from my side, we were still dialling in the car. "It's very positive and it [looks like it's] going to be dry tomorrow. It's not easy to overtake on this track, so I'm hoping I can stay in the top eight and get some points."
What can Magnussen achieve in the Sprint?
This will be Magnussen's first Sprint event in F1. Whilst he is not sure that Haas are quick enough to take fourth in dry conditions, he is aiming to secure a strong grid slot for Sunday's Grand Prix. "I want to start in a good position for the Sunday race," he commented. "We're in P4. In the dry, I don't think we're fast enough to be P4, but it's a tricky track to overtake [on], so if I can get around the first lap in P4, that's going to be super. If I lose a position or two after that, I [can] still get points and a great position for Sunday. "Of course, I want to finish higher than fourth, but we've also got to be realistic and clever." In terms of how much he can push from where he is, Magnussen said: "I feel like I want to push, I'm so close to the top now. You can win from P4! "But we're not fast enough to do that. We're in a different battle, we've got to remember what we're were trying to do and benefit from this great result today in a clever way."
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