Did pole in Brazil get Kevin Magnussen over the line here? It helped, but he was in the frame for a Top 50 spot anyway. That’s because he was brought back in from the cold and immediately moved Mick Schumacher aside to lead Haas.
While fifth in the Bahrain opener was the high point, he scored points six more times to double his team-mate’s tally. With Haas suffering in the development race, the second half of his year was quieter and typified by mainly bang-average drives.
That was until he starred at Interlagos. Rapid in all three chunks of qualifying, his pole was far from a total fluke.
Opinion: Haas's shock Brazilian GP pole reminds us the joy F1 underdogs provide
