Kevin Magnussen, who unexpectedly returned to Haas, shone through the opening weekend of the season. According to the expert, a sympathetic and humble driver is a tough opponent on the track who does not avoid taking risks.
Simo Arkko,
Jelena Leppänen
25.3. 11:46 • Updated March 25. 12:08
F1 driver Kevin Magnussen the last few weeks have been at least gradual. Few would have expected him to be the most talked about name in the new F1 season at this point.
The Dane, who returned to the F1 series on a fast schedule and to Haas, had time to get to know his car in only one winter test before the opening race of the season in Bahrain. The Danish pace was still seventh in time for the weekend.
In the race, the Dane was sensationally Fifth when Red Bull’s drivers were suspended due to technical problems.
– The stable deserves this so much. They have worked hard over the last couple of years. They got a lot of spanking (last year) because they focused on this car, Magnussen continued.
Just over two weeks ago, Magnussen signed a multi-year contract with U.S. stable Haas. The background was the invasion of Ukraine by Ukraine, which led Haas to terminate its contract with the Russian fertilizer company Uralkali.
The main owner of the company is Dmitri Mazepinso the boy who drove to Haas last season Nikita was not allowed to continue in the stable.
Magnussen said in retrospect that he did not expect Haas to consider him a substitute for Mazepin. The Dane left the Haas team manager Günther Steinerin after the first call for a vacation to the United States.
According to Magnussen, Steiner did not promise him anything at the time of the contract regarding the performance and potential of the car.
Steiner, who has become a cult figure in F1 through Netflix’s popular formula series, tells Urheilu that hiring Magnussen was his and the team’s main owner. Gene Haasin decision. Steiner and Haas went through free drivers with a super license to drive an F1 car.
– Gene Haas asked if I had talked to Kevin and if he might be interested. I had no idea, so I called Kevin right away. Kevin said he was interested, so that’s where it left off, Steiner says of the backgrounds.
The agreement came easily. Haas initially signed a similar agreement with Magnussen as in 2020. Only the dates were changed.
– We knew Kevin was fast and suitable for the team. He knows 80 percent of the people who work at Haas. We’ve always had a good relationship with Kevin. When he left the stable at the end of the 2020 season, he wasn’t happy, of course, but he understood why that was the case, Steiner continues.
For a long time for points
Magnussen drove to Haas for the first time since the 2020 season and for the first time to the third section of the time trials since 2019. The Dane drove to Haas from 2017 to 2020, so he was going through difficult years before Mazep and Mick Schumacher replaced the Haas driver duo, which was in financial difficulties.
Sports Expert Jukka Mildhin according to Magnussen should have continued, but he suffered as the stable fought for his future.
– Haas publicly blamed its drivers, which was a good reflection of the situation in the stable and at the same time reduced Magnussen’s value in the driver market. However, four full seasons with Haas says he was able to bring a lot to the stable, Mildh says.
As late as 2018, Haas was in the upper middle caste. At the time, the U.S. team finished fifth in the World Series, with Magnussen driving in fifth place in both Bahrain and Austria.
In a way, Haas ’raven hike and circle closed on Sunday when the Dane drove to fifth again.
A turning point in my career
Magnussen, like his other racing drivers, began his career in karting, but his career had to be interrupted in juniors due to financial difficulties.
– At the crucial moment, he found a sponsor that helped him rise to number one in the Formula 3 and Formula Renault 3.5 classes. One of the wealthiest people in Denmark Anders Holch-Povlsen worked behind Magnussen through the Jack & Jones clothing brand, Mildh says.
Magnussen started his F1 career at McLaren in 2014 in a sensational way. Sergio Perezin the replaced Danish finished third in his first race and rose even higher Daniel Ricciardon as a result of rejection.
The following season, Magnussen drove the team as a test driver and ended the 2016 season for Renault. Only seven series points were accumulated.
– Magnussen’s career could have been even better, but the people in charge of his management came from outside the F1 world and never succeeded in building credibility and credibility deep enough inside. Starting with McLaren and ending up with Haas through Renault did not produce the expected results, Mildh says.
Matured as a human being
Speaking about Magnussen’s development, Steiner notes that the Dane has not yet shown his best in the F1 series. The team manager recalls that Magnussen had not driven an F1 car for 14-15 months before the Bahrain tests.
That’s why, according to Steiner, it’s clear that Magnussen will see even better performance as he gets used to the pace and challenges of his current car.
– I feel like he’s matured as a human being. He is more confident and happy to return to formula number one. He wants to show that he can do that. He no longer has to stress that he should prove something to others. We wanted him back, which shows him to be good at his job.
According to expert Milhd, the second-generation Danish F1 driver is one of the most talented drivers in the last decade.
– He has clearly inherited his father, who is considered a super talent Jan Magnussen driving skills, but luckily Kevin adopted a healthier lifestyle than his father. Magnussen is a sympathetic and, in the right way, humble driver. He turns on the track into a tough opponent who doesn’t avoid taking risks, Mildh says.
Kevin Magnussen received a family addition in 2021 from his wife Louisen with. Steiner sees that the new family has moved the Dane.
– Becoming a father affects us all. It is clear that marriage and fatherhood raised Kevin as a man. It shows in self-confidence. Kevin isn’t too confident, but he’s confident in whatever ever comes up.
According to Jukka Mildh, Magnussen’s return to the F1 series, which ran endurance races in the LEC2 class of the WEC series last season and in the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race with his father, was sensational.
– Adapting to a new F1 car at short notice speaks to his professionalism. With his experience, he was able to take advantage of the features of a fast Haas car thanks to a Ferrari engine. Beating teammate Schumacher is a clear test of skill, although the German has not yet beaten himself through the F1 level.