The Haas driver achieved a sensational seventh time in qualifying in Bahrain, fresh from the (unexpected) call for the sacking of Mazepin. All this 30 years after his compatriots’ achievement at the Swedish European Championships, in which they participated at the last stage for the exclusion of Yugoslavia.
In the summer of 1992 Kevin Magnussen was in Mom Britt’s baby bump. He would see the light only in autumn, October 5, in Roskilde, the ancient capital of Denmark. And so he has only heard the best story of his national football team being told. In that summer the Danish players were on vacation, no Europeans, in the qualifying round they had been overtaken by Yugoslavia. But in those months she was torn apart by the war and had much more to think about. At the last, in extremis, Denmark was called up, its players alerted to vacation. They got together, they left for Sweden. In the group they arrive second behind the hosts, therefore qualified for the semifinal. Where on penalties (the 90 minutes ended 2-2) – in the general surprise – they eliminated the Netherlands champions of Bergkamp, Rijkaard and Van Basten. And in the final – a miracle – they gave Germany 2-0, goals from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort.
a rewritten fable
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Denmark that shouldn’t have been there has become European champion. Here, Formula 1 is more prosaic. There is no sudden winner. Yet Kevin rewrote a similar, albeit minor, tale. He was in Florida, not on vacation, rather stationed because like last year he was about to race in Imsa, the US endurance championship, with Team Ganassi. To alternate with the Wec, where he already had the agreement to get on the new Peugeot hypercar. With the prospect of making the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He had already run it in 2021 with dad Jan.
another war
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But another war turned plans upside down. As is known, the announcement for Russia has arrived, for her athletes. Haas renounced sponsor Uralkali, fired Nikita Mazepin, and called him back. Which ran in a hurry. For a Formula 1 call there is always a release clause. He arrived, he did three days of testing in a team that last year finished in a melancholy last place without points. And as if by magic he brought it back up. He snatched the seventh time which could have been even more if only in Q3 he had equaled the performance of Q2. In which he gave his teammate Mick Schumacher half a second. But already being there, in Q3, was a triumph, a victory for him and for the Haas. That hadn’t arrived since Interlagos 2019. The driver, then as yesterday, was Kevin Magnussen.
March 20, 2022 – 08:56
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