Magnussen sighs: 'Could barely keep my head straight anymore'

Barely a month ago, Kevin Magnussen assumed that his career in Formula 1 was over. When Nikita Mazepin was fired by Haas, suddenly everything changed. Magnussen returned and promptly grabbed a fifth place in Bahrain.

In Saudi Arabia, the fairy tale continued. The Dane surprised during qualifying with tenth place. According to him, there could have been more, possibly even a fifth starting place. But the tyres of the Haas were so worn that he lost five tenths, according to Magnussen.

That you can't just drive a Formula One car after a long absence and without the proper preparation, Magnussen now realizes as well. On the physically demanding circuit for drivers, the Dane stepped out of his car broken after qualifying. "To be honest, my neck was completely cracked in Q3," he told F1only. "I could hardly keep my head straight anymore."

Magnussen is the only driver from Haas to start today's Grand Prix. Teammate Mick Schumacher had a big crash and cannot compete. "Mick is unhurt, which is just great when you look at the accident. The safety is so good with these cars. To be able to go through an accident like that is great."