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As his time as a Formula 1 driver may be drawing to a close, Magnussen reflects on his driving career.
Kevin Magnussen began his Formula 1 career in 2014 driving for McLaren. He remained with the Woking-based outfit until his move to Renault in 2016, which lasted one year. For 2017, the Danish driver signed with Haas.
The 31-year-old drove for Haas between 2017 and 2020 before he and teammate, Romain Grosjean lost their F1 seats. Haas opted to sign young rookies Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher for the 2021 season.
However, Magnussen’s F1 career did not come to an end. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Haas terminated their contract with sponsor, Uralkali – a Russian company whose CEO was Dmitry Mazepin, Nikita’s father. Therefore, Haas also parted ways with Nikita and the team needed a driver to join Schumacher for 2022.
Haas Team Principal at the time, Guenther Steiner chose to bring back the experienced Magnussen. The Dane has been driving for Haas since but does not have an F1 contract past the end of this year’s season.
Parting ways and penalty points
Midway through the 2024 season, Haas announced they were parting ways with Magnussen. Instead, the American outfit opted to sign Esteban Ocon after the announcement of his post-2024 departure from Alpine. Haas also signed rookie, Oliver Bearman for 2025, after being their reserve driver alongside Ferrari’s.
Most recently, Magnussen hit the headlines due to accruing the maximum penalty points on his super licence within a 12-month period. Therefore, he will not drive in the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he faces a one-race ban. Instead, Bearman will replace Magnussen for the race in Baku.
BREAKING: Kevin Magnussen receives a one-race ban.
Magnussen will miss the Azerbaijan GP as the FIA confirm the penalty points received during his clash with Pierre Gasly in today's race sees him reach the 12 penalty point limit in a 12 month period.#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/3YaNwlNt2P
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 1, 2024
Where will Magnussen go?
As reported by The Kansas City Star, when asked about his future, Magnussen replied:
“I mean, I don’t really know.”
He elaborated:
“I don’t have anything to report on that front. I’m still kind of making my own mind up on what I should pursue and what would be fun and fulfilling to do.”
Magnussen is the son of four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and former F1 driver, Jan Magnussen. During his year out from Haas F1 team, Magnussen competed in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing, one round of the IndyCar Series for Arrow McLaren, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for High Class Racing with his father.
There's plenty of former #F1 talent at the #LeMans24h, but best of luck to Jan and Kevin Magnussen in LMP2 in particular…
They're racing not just as father and son, but as team-mates too ? pic.twitter.com/dtoGd4ahTH
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) August 20, 2021
Therefore, it is unsurprising that Magnussen sees those race series as potential future avenues. He said:
“I watch some of those races – Le Mans, the Indy 500 – and I see the guys that win that; they look bloody happy.”
Reflecting on his F1 career
As of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, Magnussen has 179 Formula 1 race starts. He has not won any races or championships. However, he has achieved one podium, a pole position, and two fastest laps.
Magnussen achieved P2 at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix in the McLaren MP4-29. His pole position came after Qualifying for the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. He holds the record for the most F1 career starts without leading a lap. The Dane also has a total of 33 DNFs.
Of his 179 race starts, Magnussen has scored a total of 192 points across 49 races. Thus, he scored zero points in 130 races. In the Drivers’ Standings, Magnussen’s highest championship finish was P9 in 2018 for Haas.
Reflecting on his Formula 1 career, driving for midfield teams and failing to achieve any race wins, Magnussen shared:
“I’m starting to think that if I finished my motorsport career having just done F1 in the midfield, that kind of feels empty in some way.”
In Haas’ press release announcing Magnussen’s departure from the team at the end of 2024, Team Principal, Ayao Komatsu remarked:
“I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity.”
He continued:
“We can hopefully define that in the near future, but his extensive experience in Formula 1 and knowledge of our working operations are undoubtedly of value in our on-going growth and development.”
Magnussen may retain a position with Haas, albeit not as a main driver. Perhaps the role of reserve or development driver may be offered to the Dane?
Featured Image Credit: @HaasF1Team on X