Haas driver Kevin Magnussen still has to pinch himself that he is back in Formula 1 after finishing in the points again at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Dane began the race 10th on the hard tyres, but had not made the crossover point to be able to make it onto Mediums when the Safety Car was deployed, costing him time to the Medium runners who were able to capitalise and pit for fresh rubber.
However, a late Virtual Safety Car brought him back into play, and he fended off Sir Lewis Hamilton to finish ninth.
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The mitigation ultimately made for a good night at the office for the 29-year-old.
“I’m happy,” he told Sky F1.
“The first Safety Car came at a really bad point for us. We started on the Hard Tyre and almost everyone else was on Mediums, and the Safety Car came just when they anyway were about to pit so that ruined it a little bit but then we got some luck back with the VSC at the end and we were able to overtake a few and [was] almost able to get [Gasly] also.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris then amusingly hijacked the interview and asked Magnussen about his neck, which he said “broke” during Q3, which is why he was rooted to the foot of the top 10 shootout.
“I’ve been pulling so much this weekend!” he joked.
Magnussen scored a podium on his debut with McLaren in Australia in 2014, and was running a stupendous fourth in 2018 before a failed pit stop from the Haas team put him and team-mate Romain Grosjean out of the running.
He then finished sixth in 2019, so the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne has been a happy hunting ground for the Dane, and this is where the circus travels next.
“Australia’s been good in the past,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m particularly any better in Australia, I think it’s just luck or coincidence that we’ve had good results there in the past but the car is good at the moment and, if we get the most out of the car I think there should be points again.”
The 29-year-old has returned this year to replace the sacked Nikita Mazepin having taken last year out to race in IMSA with Chip Ganassi, and he is still in dreamland having scored the 37th points finish of his career in Jeddah.
“This year that I had out was great,” he added.
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“I had a great time and then coming back was such a big surprise, I feel so fortunate. I still can’t believe it.”
Magnussen ended the race ninth, and he currently sits eighth in the Drivers’ Standings on 12 points.