Kevin Magnussen has recently reflected positively on his F1 career. The Dane highlighted how it was depressing when Haas sacked him in 2020, yet it helped him rekindle his love for the sport.
According to Motorsport-Total, the Danish driver said, “I think in the years before my return I may have lost a little bit of love for Formula 1.” Magnussen elaborated on how a driver can be successful in junior categories yet struggle after coming to F1.
Magnussen started his career at McLaren in 2014 and got a podium at his maiden race in Australia. However, post that, he got demoted at Woking to a reserve role due to Fernando Alonso coming in. His 2016 stint at Renault did not have any noteworthy results.
Eventually, the big four-year haul at Haas brought scattered points finishes amid struggles for the American team. Such a lack of achievements may have made Magnussen unhappy and dissatisfied.
“So I think I just fell out of love with Formula 1 a little bit. And then I had a year off, missed it and came back. And I had a new kind of appreciation for it.”, added Magnussen.
At the end of 2020, Haas dropped the Dane along with Romain Grosjean. This gave Magnussen a year of sabbatical from F1. Meanwhile, Haas got in two rookies instead – Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for 2021.
The return of Kevin Magnussen to F1
After a written-off year with two rookies, Haas was in no man’s land at the start of the new regulations in 2022. They further got jolted when they were forced into sacking Nikita Mazepin. As a result, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner was in a huge dilemma. It was at this time that Kevin Magnussen returned.
The Dane made a dramatic comeback at the 2022 Bahrain GP. This decision not only saved Haas from a difficult situation but also gave them a senior driver to lead the team. Magnussen got a stunning P5 finish in Bahrain and secured a shock pole position in Brazil to cap off his heroic return.
The 2023 season got Magnussen face-to-face with his “arch-rival” Nico Hulkenberg. With Schumacher sacked, Hulkenberg joined Haas and people expected the German to lock horns with Magnussen since this duo had a fiery tussle at the 2017 Hungarian GP.
Following this tussle, Hulkenberg went to the Haas driver and tried to sarcastically tease him in the media area. This gave fans an iconic comeback from Magnussen: “Suck my B**ls”.
Despite this heated incident, six years later Magnussen and Hulkenberg get along very well at Haas. Both drivers promised that all this banter history won’t affect their dynamic in 2023 and beyond. The driver duo have done well to stabilize Haas’ fortunes.
However, Hulkenberg has been much better and out-qualified and beat the 31-year-old Dane many times. This sets up a good 2024 narrative, as to how Magnussen can bounce back. With the American team looking to improve, if the Dane can match up with Hulkenberg’s pace, the team’s fortunes can turn around.
