Magnussen: 'I've been unlucky up to now in F1'

©Haas

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Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team's new recruit, believes he has not yet reaped the benefits of his efforts in Formula 1.

The Danish driver moves to Haas after a year with Renault which entailed great promise but ended on a sour note with the French team's boss Cyril Abiteboul criticizing Magnussen general attitude and performance in 2016.

A state of affairs which mirrored to a certain extent Ron Dennis' own views on the 24-year-old following an unsuccessful spell at McLaren in 2014.

"I feel a bit unlucky with the two teams I've been with," Magnussen told ESPN in his defense.

"I think I should have been able to have achieve more with both. I lost the seat at McLaren for reasons that were a little bit strange, and then we parted ways at Renault because we didn't think it worked.

"I had an offer [with Renault] that I couldn't accept because I had a better offer, and now I'm here, so I'm happy how it turned out. "

Magnussen 'surprised and disappointed' by Renault comments

Magnussen insist however that his predicament at McLaren differed from the difficulties he endured at Renault.

"You can't completely compare the situation and what happened at McLaren with what happened at Renault because at McLaren I wanted to stay, the team wanted to stay, but there were things at the top which meant it was chosen not to continue with me."

In the end, the Dane has no regrets about the past, and is resolutely turned towards the future

"I don't regret anything... There's so many people at both McLaren and Renault I still speak to and have a great relationship with, just certain things didn't work out and I'm happy with how things did work out."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.