It’s likely that Kevin Magnussen will bid farewell to Formula 1 at the end of this season, but the Dane has no regrets about returning to Haas in 2022 despite the challenges he’s endured over the past two seasons.
After being dropped by the US outfit, along with teammate Romain Grosjean, at the end of the 2020 F1 season, Magnussen embarked on a new chapter in his career, which included a move to IMSA with Chip Ganassi Racing.
But fate had other plans. The geopolitical fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine led Haas to part ways with Nikita Mazepin just before the start of the 2022 F1 season.
Team principal Günther Steiner made a last-minute call to Magnussen, offering him a chance to return to F1 alongside Mick Schumacher. The decision to return was not taken lightly, but Magnussen embraced the opportunity with enthusiasm.
The 31-year-old kicked off his second stint with Haas with a promising fifth-place finish at the season opener in Bahrain. However, save for a surprise pole position for the Sprint Race in Brazil, that was as good as it got for Magnussen.
Since, the Dane has only scored five top-ten finishes, his results evidently reflecting the struggles of his team. Yet, Magnussen expresses nothing but positivity about the experience and harbors no regrets.
“No, no, no, honestly, I don’t… I don’t regret it,” he said, speaking to Autosport. “It’s been fun and it’s fun trying something so unexpected.
“It was a wild journey, because I really closed that chapter, completely, mentally closed it, had a kid and completely started that next phase of my life with my wife and my family.
“Then – boom – back again, and that… this whole experience has been really exciting for me and my family.”
Despite the difficulties, Magnussen insists he was fully aware of what he was getting into when he made his return.
“That’s to be expected when you step into Formula 1,” he said. “I was already an experienced Formula 1 driver when I came back, I knew what I was going back to.”
Magnussen’s realistic approach to his comeback helped him manage his expectations and navigate the ups and downs of the season.
“Nothing was really a surprise, so I knew,” he explained.
“I knew there would be bumps and, I also knew it wasn’t going to be just smooth sailing and I knew there would be a honeymoon phase and then it would kind of, you know… all this I had, I had it all kind of thought through. It’s all part of it.”
With the announcement that Esteban Ocon will replace him at Haas next year, and with Oliver Bearman set to join the team as Nico Hulkenberg departs for Sauber, Magnussen’s trails in F1 appears to have reached their end.
With limited options to remain on the grid, the Dane is likely to explore other racing categories in the near future.
"I think everything is on the table in that case,” he said at Spa, before F1’s summer break. “So I'll see what's available out there and make my mind when I get there.
“Right now, I'm in Formula 1 and there's still a couple of seats open for next year that I'd like to see where all that ends up, and then look at things afterwards."
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