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Kevin Magnussen felt the pressure he used to placed on himself made F1 scary to him. Since returning in 2022, he finds the sport more “enjoyable”.
Kevin Magnussen will be joined with Nico Hulkenberg as the driver lineup for Haas. (Image Credit: Autosport)Magnussen was dropped by Haas at the end of 2020 after racing for them for four seasons. A return for the 30-year-old in F1 seemed unlikely, but in hindsight not impossible. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict caused Haas to drop driver, Nikita Mazepin, at the start of 2022 and take Magnussen onboard. He joined the American team on a multi-year contract.
The Dane showed out in the maiden race of the season by finishing in P5 at Bahrain. Over the course of the season, Magnussen was able to accumulate 25 points and score a career first pole position at Brazil.
Magnussen spoke to the media and talked about how he now enjoys F1 more. The expectation that winning a world championship is the epitome of happiness was no longer the case.
“The biggest pressure is my own expectation. Ever since I was a little child, I’ve thought of life as being all about Formula 1 and getting to the top of the sport. I thought being a Formula 1 world champion is the ultimate thing you can achieve in life, which I’ve now realised is not the case.”
“That took some of that pressure away, and that’s been a really positive thing. Now I actually enjoy Formula 1 a lot more.
“When I was in that old mindset, it always just felt very scary to be around here because of all that pressure from myself. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to achieve happiness if I didn’t get success in the sport, which of course is a very heavy pressure.
“And then there’s all the pressure from everyone. This sport is a very tough competition in many ways.
“So I think for me, it’s actually been a positive. I heard a lot of people joke that oh, it costs a tenth or two when you become a dad, but it’s certainly not the case. I think it’s the other way around.”
“There’s not this big weight on my shoulders in the same way. Of course you still have great expectations to myself, and big ambitions, but it’s just different. It’s all OK, that kind of thing. I’m happy.”
Headline Image Credit: Formula 1 Official Website