Although he feels stronger as a racing driver than he did in 2023, Kevin Magnussen knows that his career in Formula 1 could come to an end
Kevin Magnussen is aware that his Formula 1 career could come to an end in 2024. The Haas driver is hoping for a contract extension with the American racing team, but otherwise has no realistic chance of getting a cockpit. And there are also a number of other candidates at Haas who could become a problem for the Dane.
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Magnussen answers the question of whether there is a risk that he will end up being one of those who don’t get a cockpit in the “silly season”: “Yes. There is a chance that it will happen.”
Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman, for example, is considered a hot candidate. Although Gene Haas is not a fan of rookies, the young Briton impressed on his Formula 1 debut as Sainz’s replacement in Saudi Arabia and will get a few more Friday appearances at Haas in 2024 where he can prove himself.
Of the established drivers, Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas are among those being considered. Ocon will no longer drive for Alpine in 2025, and Bottas staying with Sauber is considered 50:50 at best. Magnussen is not completely without a chance in the face of this competition, but is not one of the favourites for one of the two Haas cockpits.
Magnussen: No panic about “silly season “
But the 31-year-old isn’t worried: “In the past, when I was younger, it would probably have stressed me out more and I would have felt the pressure more. But now I manage to put that aside quite well, just get in the car and do my best.”
His plan A remains Formula 1. Haas had already not extended Magnussen’s contract at the end of 2020 in order to be able to drive with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Masepin in 2021. Günther Steiner brought the Dane back in 2022. He had actually already signed with Peugeot for 2022 as a works driver in the WEC hypercar program.
Now history could repeat itself. But Magnussen has not yet put out feelers in the direction of endurance racing: “I want to be in Formula 1. That’s what I’m concentrating on. Only when all the doors are closed will I look around for something else.”
He has already signaled to the Haas team “that I would like to continue here. The team is in a good position for the future. I would like to be part of it.” However, he has no deadline for a decision. How could he, after all, the decision is not in his hands. Magnussen is dependent on who Haas wants
Clear number 2 in the stable duel against Hülkenberg
The numbers don’t look good for him. In the stable duel against Nico Hülkenberg, the score is 2:5 after winning qualifying sessions (3:6 with sprint qualifying sessions) and 1:6 after better race results (2:7 with sprints). In addition, Hülkenberg already has six championship points to his name, while Magnussen has just one
Frustrating, because: “The pace was there. I’m much stronger as a driver than last year. I found it difficult to adapt to the car, especially in qualifying. It’s much easier for me this year. But it just didn’t work out for me in a lot of situations.”
Magnussen cites examples: “So often I had traffic, second lap in Q1 or Q2, then suddenly a problem, or a badly managed out-lap, something like that. Or, if we were having a good race, the safety car comes out at the wrong time. It’s just one of those years where you always seem to have a headwind.”
“Let’s take Imola. A McLaren suddenly comes out of the pits in front of me and can’t even start its lap. How can you predict that? Cost me a good grid position. In the race, the pace is fantastic and I almost finish in the points. Without the bad luck, I would have started near the top 10 and would certainly have scored points,” he says angrily.
In Magnussen’s favor: he had Mick Schumacher under control for much of the 2022 season. Although he regularly looks bad against Nico Hülkenberg in qualifying, he can usually keep up in the race. And Magnussen has already shown himself to be a team player in 2024, helping Hülkenberg to score points
