Magnussen has no regrets about ‘wild and exciting’ F1 comeback

Kevin Magnussen has insisted he has no regrets about his “wild” and “exciting” return to Formula 1 as his time at Haas draws to a close.

The Dane was dropped by the team at the end of the 2020 season and switched to sports car racing with Chip Ganassi, but fate gave him a reprieve in Formula 1.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine spelled the end for Nikita Mazepin at Haas, then-team boss Guenther Steiner brought in Magnussen to fill the vacant spot at short notice ahead of the 2022 season.

The former McLaren and Renault driver has since claimed his first pole position, albeit on a Friday at that year’s Brazilian Grand Prix. However, with performances somewhat disappointing this season, he will end his time with the team at the end of the year.

When asked by Autosport in an exclusive interview whether he regretted his return to Formula 1, Magnussen replied: “No, no, no, honestly not.

“I don’t regret it. It was fun and it’s fun to try something unexpected like that. It was a wild ride because I really closed that chapter, completely, mentally, closed it, had a child and fully started the next phase of my life with my wife and my family.

“And then – boom – back again, and that… this whole experience was really exciting for me and my family.”

Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22, is greeted by his team at the finish

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Magnussen’s first weekend back, despite the lack of pre-season testing, he went straight into competition, but still managed to finish fifth, which underlined his ability.

Speaking about his feelings that weekend, he said: “I was sitting on the beach with a drink in my hand, not at all in the Formula 1 mindset, and then I suddenly panicked.

“From the beach to the airport bam, bam, bam, and then I was sitting in the paddock, sunburned, not in the mindset at all. That whole transition was just wild and exciting.”

Although Magnussen impressed alongside Mick Schumacher in his first year at the club, the return of Nico Hulkenberg overshadowed his results from last season and he has continued that form into the current campaign.

“That’s to be expected when you go into Formula 1,” Magnussen said of the tougher times. “I was already an experienced Formula 1 driver when I came back, I knew what I was going back to.

“Nothing was really a surprise, so I knew. I knew there were going to be bumps and I knew it wasn’t going to be plain sailing and I knew there was going to be a honeymoon and then it would kind of be, you know… I had all this, I had it all figured out a little bit. It’s all part of it.”