Guenther Steiner made a hilarious x-rated comment after Kevin Magnussen finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton at the Saudi Arabia GP. The Haas driver, who replaced Nikita Mazepin before the season began, has enjoyed two great races so far.
Haas, who consistently struggled to make it through the first qualifying session up until this season, saw Magnussen finish fifth in Bahrain last week, followed by a ninth-placed finish in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The Dane performed so well, he even finished one place ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who had a weekend to forget at the Jeddah Corniche circuit.
Haas boss Steiner is delighted with the start his team has made so far this year, to the extent that he would have “f****d the whole paddock” just to get two points last season. When talking to F1 journalist Chris Medland, the 56-year-old told him exactly how he feels about their impressive start to 2022.
“You always want maximum but if you think about it you cannot be too greedy,” he said. “Last year for two points I would have f****d the whole paddock.” The driver’s ninth-placed finish is all the more remarkable given he was suffering neck issues during Saturday’s qualifying session.
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The Saudi Arabia track is one of the more difficult circuits to drive and having been out of F1 for a year before his sudden return, Magnussen expected “hell” during the race. “I’m glad I didn’t have that preparation because my neck would’ve been done before qualifying,” said Magnussen. “My neck broke in Q3. I just couldn’t drive anymore.
“When you’ve been out of a Formula 1 car for a year and then you have a track like this, it’s tough on that. It’s a great track, nothing against it but I’m just not prepared for it. You go a bit slower in the race, so that helps a lot. It’s just these speeds [through] turns six and seven, eight, nine, it’s just hell when you haven’t driven a Formula 1 car for a year.”
The 29-year-old expressed his shock and concern for teammate Mick Schumacher, who was involved in a horrific accident in qualifying, smashing into the wall at 150mph and was taken to hospital for checks; thankfully he did not sustain any injuries.
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Reflecting on the German’s high-speed accident, Magnussen added: “When you see where he lost it and how he hit, the angle was so bad. It’s just pure concrete. The whole car was torn apart.
“That must have been a crazy accident. It’s just crazy he can walk away from a crash like that. So grateful for the safety in these cars, that I’m able to speak to Mick, give him a hug, and a pat on the shoulder. It’s fantastic.”
