Kevin Magnussen has openly voiced concerns over his Formula 1 future following an extremely challenging season with Haas.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen acknowledges there is a “chance” he will be out of Formula 1 at the end of the current campaign following rumours that the American team could bring in an all-new lineup for 2025.
Nico Hulkenberg’s multi-year contract with Sauber makes it obvious that Haas will be looking for one new driver for next season, but there are also rumours around the F1 paddock that Magnussen could end up leaving the team.
With only one point scored in nine races compared to six by his teammate, a string of on-track incidents have contributed to Magnussen’s dismal showing recently, sparking criticism and almost putting him on the verge of a race suspension due to penalty point accumulation.
The Danish driver is on the verge of a race ban due to the accumulation of 10 penalty points on his license. His contract is also set to expire at the end of this season, and Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu has informed the media that he is considering other drivers.
Komatsu is reportedly eyeing alternatives for his seat, including Esteban Ocon from Alpine and Ferrari’s junior driver Oliver Bearman.
“I think the mixture of good youth and then experience to give us the reference would be a pretty exciting combination,” Komatsu said after he was asked about Ocon.
“I’m talking with several of the current F1 drivers, experienced guys, as well as some of the young drivers, F1 drivers. He is definitely one of the several I’m considering seriously.”
If Esteban Ocon signs with the American squad, not only would Magnussen’s three-year relationship with Haas come to an end, but his Formula 1 career would probably come to its conclusion.
However, having already been sidelined once—after being benched by Haas at the end of 2020 season and then reinstated in 2022—the 31-year old is hoping to avoid the former.
“There is a chance that will happen,” Magnussen said. “I want to be in Formula 1. That’s what my mind is set on at the moment.
“Until that’s not a possibility anymore I’ll keep focused on that. Whatever happens, I’ll deal with that at that stage.”
In comparison to his previous years in F1, Magnussen’s outlook has gotten more philosophical as he evaluates his personal growth and response to the demands of the sport. This is particularly evident as he recalls his 2014 McLaren exit.
“I think the most important thing in tough times is to keep positive, keep calm,” he said.
“In the past, certainly when I was younger, I would maybe get more stressed about things and you feel the pressure more. But now I’m able to put it aside a little bit, just get in the car and drive to the best of my ability.”
Besides his personal struggles, Magnussen listed a number of external obstacles that derailed his current campaign, including traffic during crucial qualifying laps and unfortunate race incidents.
“The pace was there. I am a much stronger driver than last year,” he added. “I found it difficult to adjust to the car, especially in qualifying.
“That is much easier for me this year. But it just didn’t go my way in a lot of situations. I’ve had traffic so many times, second lap in Q1 or Q2, then suddenly a problem, or a poorly managed out-lap, something like that.
“Or, if we had a good race, the safety car comes at the wrong time. It’s just one of those years where you always seem to have a headwind.”
Magnussen used a particularly frustrating incident in Imola – where an abrupt pit release during qualifying hindered a potentially exceptional performance – as an example of his unfortunate series of events.
He added: “Let’s take Imola. Suddenly a McLaren comes out of the pits in front of me and can’t even start its lap. How can you predict that?
“It costs me a good starting position. In the race, the pace is fantastic and I almost make it into the points.
“Without the bad luck, I would have started near the top 10 and would definitely have scored points.”
However, Magnussen says he’s still upbeat and will keep giving Haas his all, refusing to let speculation about his future get to him.
“Every time you don’t get the result you want, you have to look at is there anything I could have done differently,” he said. ‘I always try to do that, we try and do that as a team.
“You could have always done something different and the outcome would have been different, but in the circumstances that we had available almost all the times this year it looked like we were doing the right thing.
“So it’s easy to get frustrated about those things, but at the same time you just need to keep your head cool. We can’t control cars coming out on weird timing. With those things you’ve just got to move on.”
