Kevin Magnussen says he felt like "a changed person" when he unexpectedly returned to Formula 1 with Haas at the start of the 2022 season.
During winter testing, Magnussen was called upon at short notice by Haas team boss Guenther Steiner following the team's decision to severe ties with Russian sponsor Uralkali and pay-driver Nikita Mazepin in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Magnussen had left Haas at the end of 2020 when the US outfit refreshed its line-up and was in the process of building a new career in America, convinced that F1 was a closed chapter in his life.
"I feel like a changed person coming back, I became a parent and just thought that Formula 1 was over," he said, recalling his out-of-the-blue return to the fray.
"So I had quite a different perspective on life after that year, so it was significant for me.
"I don't know if it would be the same for everyone, but for me, it was okay."
Magnussen's first return race with Haas in Bahrain concluded with an astonishing fifth place finish, but the high point of his 2022 season was his surprising pole position in qualifying in Brazil.
Haas race engineer Ayao Komatsu also witnessed first hand Magnussen's transformation.
"Kevin’s attitude and mental state are like night and day different from two years ago," Komatsu said.
"He has come back much more mature after his year off. It’s a real pleasure to work with him. And he doesn’t even focus on beating his team-mate, he always thinks about the team."
Comparing his 2022 campaign to his past seasons with McLaren, Renault and with Haas the first time around, the Dane feels that the pressure, often self-induced, that filled his environment in the past equated to a heavy burden.
"It was the mental part, I felt so much weight on my shoulders from all the expectations of myself," commented the 30-year-old.
"Finally getting to Formula 1, realising a big part of my ambition as a human being and it was such a big responsibility for myself.
"The pressure from the team wasn't actually so big, they were so supportive, and most of the teams wanted to keep me, but it was political fights that meant I didn't get a chance to stay on.
"But it is certainly hard mentally once you get under pressure, and in my case, it wasn't helped by being on the podium in my very first race [with McLaren at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix] which set expectations too high."
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