The 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix will be remembered for two reasons: George Russell taking his maiden Formula 1 victory, and Kevin Magnussen registering his first pole position.
But it is Magnussen's pole that is today's focus.Why? Because he became only the fifth driver in ten years to secure the position in a car that is nowhere near the top teams' level.Of course, the rain and poor track conditions helped cement his and Haas' first pole in F1, but such is the nature of the sport.
The unexpected can happen at any moment, and if you are not there to capitalise, it could be over before you know it.This is what happened to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the same qualifying session, but Magnussen… he set his pole time at the right moment.Poles from a team outside the top 3F1 is often dominated by one team, sometimes two or three.
2022 has been all about Red Bull and Ferrari, but Mercedes-AMG asserted itself in the mix in the season's latter stages. All three teams started a race from the front of the grid at some point this year, bar one: Brazil.That honour, as already expressed, went to Magnussen.Before the Haas driver got the pole in the lowest-ranking car heading into 2022, Lando Norris started the 2021 Russian GP from the front.