Kevin Magnussen has insisted he has no regrets over his “wild” and “exciting” return to Formula 1 as he nears the end of his time with Haas.
The Dane was dropped by the team at the end of the 2020 season and made the switch to sportscar racing with Chip Ganassi, only for fate to give him an F1 reprieve.
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine spelling the end for Nikita Mazepin at Haas, then-team principal Guenther Steiner turned to Magnussen to fill the the vacant space at short notice ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Since then, the former McLaren and Renault driver secured his first pole position – albeit on a Friday ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint that year – though with performances dropping off this season, he will complete his time with the team at the end of the year.
Asked by Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview whether he regretted returning to F1, Magnussen replied: “No, no, no, honestly, I don’t.
“I don’t regret it. 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.”
Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22, is greeted by his team at the finish
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Magnussen’s first weekend back saw him rushed into competition with a lack of pre-season testing under his belt, yet he managed to pull a fifth-place finish out to underline his skill level.
On his feelings across that weekend, he explained: “I was sitting on a beach with a drink in my hand, completely not in a Formula 1 mindset and [then] suddenly panicking.
“From the beach to the airport bam, bam, bam, and then I was in the paddock, sunburned, like completely not in like the mindset. That whole transition was just wild and exciting.”
Whilst Magnussen impressed alongside Mick Schumacher in his first year back, the return of Nico Hulkenberg overshadowed his results last term and that form has continued into the current campaign.
“That’s to be expected when you step 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 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.”
