Remarkable: Magnussen and Verstappen side by side again 25 years later

Kevin Magnussen beat Max Verstappen in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Remarkably, history seems to be repeating itself. 25 years earlier, Magnussen and Verstappen were also next to each other on the grid in Brazil.

Rainy Q3 in Brazil and George Russell's mistake, which was followed by a red flag, helped Magnussen to his first F1 pole position after a strong lap. Max Verstappen, in the only fast lap that could be put down in Q3, was two tenths slower than the Haas F1 driver. It means Magnussen will start Saturday's sprint race first with Verstappen alongside him. It is not the first time these two names have stood next to each other at the start at Brazil's Interlagos circuit.

Jan Magnussen and Jos Verstappen also stood next to each other

Indeed, 25 years ago, for the 1997 Brazilian GP, the fathers of both drivers stood next to each other on the grid. That year, it was also the Dane who was faster than the Dutchman. Jan Magnussen, with his Steward-Ford beat Jos Verstappen in his Tyrrell-Ford. Magnussen was a good tenth faster than Verstappen. The big difference between the race 25 years ago and now is that the battle between the seniors was for P20 and P21, while Kevin Magnussen and Max Verstappen went for pole position.

The race 25 years ago did not end well for the father of the current pole-sitter. At the initial start, there was a big crash between Damon Hill, Eddie Irvine, Giancarlo Fisichella and Magnussen. The Dane was unable to rejoin the race at the restart and recorded a DNS behind his name. Jos Verstappen finished fifteenth. The Saturday of the 2022 Brazilian GP will show whether the repeat of history continues.