Kevin Magnussen says a podium with Haas next weekend in Melbourne would significantly surpass the achievement he felt when he finished second on his F1 debut in Australia in 2014.
Magnussen drove a remarkable race with McLaren in his baptism of fire as a Grand Prix driver nine years ago, the Dane following home Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo to complete the podium at Albert Park.
However, Magnussen was eventually elevated to P2 after Ricciardo was disqualified for a fuel flow infringement.
Nearly a decade later, what’s different about the 30-year-old today compared to back then?
"Many, many things," he said in Haas Aussie GP preview. "When I look back, I feel like I was a child back then.
"It’s basically a third of my life since then and a lot of stuff has happened since.
"It was a very intense weekend because having your first Formula 1 race weekend in itself is a big thing, a great experience on its own.
"Then, getting on the podium made it that much more special and certainly one of the weekends in my life that I’ll remember forever."
Magnussen admits that his performance back in 2014 was not unexpected, while a top-3 this year would represent a very different achievement in the eyes of the Haas charger.
"A podium would definitely mean more now than back then though," he said.
"Back then, I was in a whole different mindset, as I came from junior categories where podiums, wins and championships were a regular thing.
"Getting on the podium in Formula 1 was a big thing but it was also something that I almost expected and anticipated, whereas reality showed later on that it wasn’t going to be the norm.
"Now, it would mean so much more because it’s not something I’m anticipating as such – I’m dreaming, hoping and working towards it – but it’s not something we can expect, so it would mean a million times more than it would back then."
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