Kevin Magnussen returned to F1 after a year’s absence in 2022 and admits that he approaches things in a very different way now.
At the end of the 2020 F1 season, it was announced that Magnussen’s contract with Haas would not be renewed. Subsequently, he moved away from the sport for a whole year, in which he took part in other racing ventures.
In the recent episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast, the Dane highlighted how much he grew as a person. He started by explaining his childhood dream of being an F1 driver, and the moment he realized it.
Some brilliant racing between K-Mag and the 7x World Champion Lewis Hamilton on Sunday! 😮👏#HaasF1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/okaoOqPml0
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) March 29, 2022
Magnussen’s F1 career got off to a stellar start, when he stood on the podium in his very first race in 2014. He was driving for McLaren then, but admits that the only team he can call ‘home’ is Haas, whom he joined in 2017.
He reflects back on the end of 2020, when he got to know he won’t be in F1 anymore. For someone who had dreamed of being in the sport his whole life, the 29-year old said it wasn’t easy to come to terms with it.
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Kevin Magnussen enjoying F1 from a different perspective in 2022
Magnussen was brought back to Haas as Nikita Mazepin’s replacement just a few days before the season started. While it was an unexpected decision, he immediately agreed to come back, but his approach has been different so far.
“The big dream you have, what you literally dream about at night, has been winning in F1,” he said. “And last year i had to realize that it wasn’t going to happen and i came to peace with it.”
Nice to talk to you #F1BeyondTheGrid #HaasF1 #F1 https://t.co/M4NhMZRS94
— Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) April 13, 2022
“At the end of 2020 I lost my drive for Haas,” the Dane continued. “I was looking back at that and kind of got to a place where you feel very lucky instead of disappointment. i was so fortunate to even have gotten an opportunity in the first place.”
“I fantastic year way from F1. I missed driving year, but I was in a happy place. We all moved back home. It was really cool.”
Magnussen finished P5 in his first race back this year in Sakhir, followed by a P9 finish in Saudi Arabia in the following race.
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