Magnussen set for pitlane start after qualifying shunt
Kevin Magnussen is set for a pitlane start in tomorrow’s Canadian Grand Prix as a consequence of the Haas Formula 1 driver’s hefty shunt in qualifying.
Losing control of his car at the final corner, Magnussen brushed the wall on exit before hurtling towards the pit wall on the opposite side of the circuit, crashing heavily and returning to the outside of the track.
Although the Haas driver held onto his position in Q3, the car was heavily damaged - meaning Magnussen qualified 10th by default, with a subsequent chassis change consigning him to a pitlane start.
"We need to change the gearbox. There’s no point to try to start somewhere in the back end with the C5 tyre," team principal Gunther Steiner explained.
"We start from pitlane. The best way is to change the chassis. The quickest and safest way is to do that. And start from pitlane for once."
Discussing his crash, Magnussen explained that the wheel damage from touching the famed “Wall of Champions” meant he was unable to rescue the situation.
“I just had a snap and brushed the wall," Magnussen explained. “It wasn’t even that hard, but I caught the wall with the rim, so it just blew the rim and took the tyre off the rim and chucked me over to the other side.
“I didn’t expect to spin like that, but because the outside of the rim had blown off it just turned me to the other side.
“I didn’t think it would be any problem, because when I had the snap I thought ‘okay I might hit the wall but it’s gonna be fine’, but then I hit it only slightly, right on the rim and it flew.
“It was going well, but bad luck.”
He added: “That’s the thing when you make a mistake like this - it means your guys have an all-nighter.
“They don’t get any sleep at all. I feel really bad for them also, not only because it cost a good result in qualifying but they have to work all night. That sucks big time.”
While downbeat, Magnussen refused to accept that his weekend was over, pointing to the unpredictability of past races around the Montreal circuit.
“There’s loads of chance, sometimes you have a crazy race and you can make it to the top.
“But there’s also the chance that I’ll start from the pitlane, get the two Williams and have a good time from there. Anything can happen.”
Additional reporting by Scott Mitchell
Car of Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-19 is recovered after crashing in qualifying
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Sutton Images
Share Or Save This Story
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2026
How brutal VSC timing turned Lando Norris’ Spanish GP upside down
How Norris unfurled a surprising - and "unrepeatable" - Spanish GP pole lap
Kevin Magnussen vs. Noah Gragson NASCAR feud: A lap-by-lap breakdown
Kevin Magnussen's NASCAR debut is part of post-F1 'open mind' to global motorsports
Where will Kevin Magnussen rank among the Project 91 NASCAR drivers?
Esteban Ocon: ‘Haas may be testing new drivers, but drivers aren’t the problem’
Ferrari’s ADUO 2 upgrade is no “game changer” for Haas either
You Ask The Questions: Esteban Ocon
George Russell told to turn focus to 2027 as title bid branded "a write-off" after Spanish GP
His worst races would be enough: The remarkable stats behind Kimi Antonelli’s title hopes
Brad Keselowski joins exclusive group with special career milestone
From “angry” to podium: How KTM turned around Pedro Acosta’s Misano weekend
Why Lando Norris doesn’t buy George Russell’s driving style theory
How Kimi Antonelli is proving unbeatable, even when he's beaten
How Norris unfurled a surprising - and "unrepeatable" - Spanish GP pole lap
Audi’s long road back to the top of grand prix racing
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments