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“Guenther called me and ruined everything”- Kevin Magnussen talks about his return to Formula 1 with Haas for the first time since his comeback

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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"The car is just doing what I want it to do" - Haas boss Guenther Steiner stakes claim to be the best-of-the-rest in Constructors Standings

Kevin Magnussen said that Haas team boss Guenther Steiner called him and ruined everything as the former makes a return to the F1.

Haas signed Kevin Magnussen as the team terminated Nikita Mazepin and Uralkali’s contract following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Danish driver spoke to the media for the first time after he made his return and joked that Guenther ruined everything.

The 29-year-old has previously driven with the Haas f1 team between 2017 and 2020. The Danish driver said that he was about to go to the USA with his family before he received a call from Guenther.

“I decided to go [to Florida] because I was like, let’s see if it happens or not. So then I got to Miami and Guenther called back and said, OK, let’s do it. So I travelled back here [to Bahrain],” he said.

Also Read: Nikita Mazepin feels that Haas completely ignored him as the team terminated his contract

Kevin Magnussen had no F1 clause in his contracts

Outside of Formula 1, Magnussen was obliged to race in the IMSA SportsCar series with Chip Ganassi Racing this season, and with Peugeot’s Hypercar project in the World Endurance Championship.

He explained that a lot of things had to be taken care of as he was contracted to Peugeot and Ganassi. He said that it was nice of Ganassi to let him out as he was supposed to race with him at the Sebring 12-hour race next weekend.

He also said that he had no F1 clause in his current contracts. “No, none of the guys that I was committed to had to let me go. I’ve been very privileged to be with these two organisations that are so professional, and I think they understood.

“They weren’t happy about it, of course, but I think they understood,” he added.

Also Read: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff offers support to Mazepin after the Russian’s contract termination by Haas

Guenther Steiner ruined everything

When asked what got him excited to return to F1 in a midfield car after having spent so many years away from it, Magnussen said, “I think I could have stayed in Formula 1 in a different team if I really wanted to [after 2020].”

He explained that it would have been messy as he did not have any motivation left. He ran at the back of the grid for two years. Magnussen said that before that he was racing in the midfield and that was more exciting.

“Then I went away, did some other racing, got podiums, pole positions and that was all really fun. I was enjoying it. But then Guenther called me and ruined all that!

“I could feel in my stomach that, Yeah, I want to do this. I didn’t know that I missed it that much. But, when I got the opportunity, I was like, Yeah, I want this,” he further added.

Also Read: Sacked Mazepins asks for repayment of sponsorship

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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