Magnussen: 'I knew I had to pull something strange out of the hat'

©Haas

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Rather than a white dove, Kevin Magnussen pulled a super-fast lap out of his hat in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Haas driver clocking in sixth in Saturday's evening shootout.

Magnussen's performance followed three solid sessions in which the US outfit appeared to fly under the radar as it worked patiently on the set-up of its VF-19.

Haas' diligent work paid off, especially for Magnussen.

"To be sixth is better than best of the rest, so that’s a bit new to us I guess, to be able to fight the Red Bulls," the Dane told Sky F1.

"I don't know if they got it wrong today or what but we're happy."

2019 Bahrain Grand Prix - Qualifying results

Magnussen had noted on Friday that Haas' car performed better in the cooler evening conditions, something that set him up nicely for qualifying.

"Definitely, especially in the dark which is good because that's when it matters," he confirmed.

"In qualifying today we took another step and improved even further, I knew I had a good car. Just didn't really touch it all of qualifying.

As for K-Mag's best lap, he tried to go one better on a second attempt in Q3 but failed, which led him to believe that his first effort had been close to perfect.

"It was definitely a very very good lap because I tried to improve on the second one, and it's not like I had just made a mistake, I knew I had to pull really something strange out of the hat.

"I didn't really know where to find it. I couldn't improve so that means the first lap was pretty good."

Beforehand, Magnussen would have been wary of Renault based on its performance in Melbourne two weeks ago. However, with the French team missing out from the top-ten in qualifying, Haas may have some breathing space to lead the mid-field pack on Sunday.

"They looked like our closest competitors," he added. "In Australia they were very good in the race and scored good points with Hulkenberg, so we need to try and do a good job tomorrow and get something out of the situation.

"We've been stronger in quali trim this weekend than race trim.

"We did a few changes so hopefully that's helped the situation but Renault looked really strong on Friday, especially on the long runs, and with them being back there it's a small help. So let's see."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.