'Perfect job' by Haas lands Magnussen on 'fake pole'

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Kevin Magnussen declared himself ecstatic with his performance in Saturday afternoon's qualifying in Monaco in which the Haas driver clocked in P6.

The Dane thought he had screwed up his session when he pulled into the pitlane in Q2 with a damaged front wing, but the Haas crew diligently turned around the #8 car in time for its driver to be sent back out and secure his spot in Q3.

Magnussen dialed in more speed thereafter, in Q3, and sprung to sixth on the final time-sheet. He'll start from fifth however, courtesy of a three-place grid penalty handed to Red Bull's Pierre Gasly for impeding… Romain Grosjean.

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"It was a really good session," said Magnussen. "I had a really good car, I could push, I felt comfortable.

"I put a lot of stress on the guys in Q2 with the damage to the front wing in the session after I kissed the wall, they did a fantastic job to turn it around, fix it, and send me out again.

"I got into Q3 with a good lap, then did another one there."

"We know how important qualifying is at this track, so to get P6 at the front of the midfield again – the fake pole position, I’m extremely happy with it.

"It was a perfect job from the whole team, not just me – it was a team effort."

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner echoed his driver's praise for what had been a very good team effort.

"Kevin did a fantastic job," said Steiner. "We couldn’t have done anything better.

"The team was fantastic in reacting to when he had the damaged front wing. Everything was smooth, so I’m very happy and proud of that one, as can the guys."

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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.