“Wow! This Could’ve Been Anyone”: Pierre Gasly Proud of Polesitter Kevin Magnussen, but Left With One Question

Haas has done it. They’ve shocked the world with a fascinating pole for Kevin Magnussen. The Danish driver used the dubious weather to his advantage and earned his first-ever pole in Formula 1. Moreover, it was also Haas F1’s first-ever pole. Haas’ rivals, AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly, complimented the Dane for the achievement but rued the missed opportunity.

Every now and then, there are some moments that define why fans love this sport. Kevin Magnussen’s fairytale pole is one such instance. Everybody expected Red Bull and Mercedes to fight for the pole, but Haas and Magnussen’s brilliant presence of mind earned them a well-deserved accolade.

However, it was not good news for their rivals, AlphaTauri and Aston Martin. The pole position certainly gives Haas the opportunity and the confidence to perform and earn good points from the sprint and the main race. Pierre Gasly complimented Kevin but was left scratching his head, thinking it could have easily been an AlphaTauri pole.

Gasly said, “Could’ve been us” This is what I like about F1. Unbelievable, but for us, it’s terrible because we are fighting Haas in the championship. Go and check on Franz [Tost].”

He added, “For sure it’s Kevin and Haas in the pole position and you think, Wow! This could’ve been anyone, you know?”

“But I must say congrats to him because in these conditions, with the raindrops falling, you need to do the lap and he did it at the exact, at the right moment so congrats to him and congrats to Haas.”

READ MORE: Kevin Magnussen Shares “Crazy” Moment With Max Verstappen as Double Champ Reacts to Surprising Brazilian GP Quali

Pierre Gasly reflects on the “delicate” situation about his potential ban

While he might be a little unfortunate in certain scenarios, Pierre Gasly is walking a thin line at the moment. The Frenchman is one incident away from getting a potential race ban in F1. The future Alpine driver also commented on how unpleasant the situation is currently.

Gasly said, “I’m not going to lie, it’s a very unpleasant situation and quite delicate, in some ways a bit embarrassing to be standing in a position where I could be banned for a race after the season that I’ve done.”

He further added, “I don’t really feel like I’ve been particularly dangerous over these last 12 months and that would definitely be a harsh penalty.”

Penalty points usually drop off a driver’s license a year after they are assigned. Therefore, this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix is the first of nine races, spanning across this and next season that the Frenchman can have the possibility of a race ban hanging over him.

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It will be interesting how Haas lines up the strategies. They’ve never been in this situation, which means they’ll work hard to come up with a game plan against the world champion and the rest of the grid. Where do you think Kevin Magnussen will finish in the sprint race?