Kevin Magnussen doesn’t want to be on Haas’ contact list should they require a substitute driver in 2021.
The Dane has already begun life after Formula 1, finishing a frustrating fifth at the Daytona 24 Hours having looked on course to win until a puncture struck with just seven minutes left.
However, Haas chief Guenther Steiner didn’t rule out calling on his former drivers should there be a need to replace Nikita Mazepin or Mick Schumacher this season.
“I think we have to take a third driver this year, as we did last year, because of Covid-19,” he told Motorsport.com. “You never know when it hits you. If you ever need a third driver on the track, it’s now.
“There’s no rush to name anybody. We are talking with Pietro [Fittipaldi], obviously, but there is no big rush from our side and not from his side.
“I wouldn’t mind if they [Romain Grosjean and Magnussen] were free, I think they’d love to come back. I didn’t ask them, but I don’t think they have any bad feelings.”
In response, however, Magnussen was pretty clear.
“Guenther is a good friend, as are many people in the Haas F1 team, but any talk about racing, like a one-off race, I don’t have much interest in that,” he said.
“I like to be fully focused on what I am doing and I miss winning. I’ve done seven years of F1, [so] doing one more race, I don’t think is that interesting.”
At the same time… “If Mercedes came and asked me if I wanted to drive, I think everyone would look at that very seriously,” he added.
“[But] I have given F1 a very fair shot; I think I have done my best to try to be successful.
“I’ve done it and feel like I’m ready to go and win some stuff again — that’s really where I’m at.”
In addition to his Chip Ganassi seat in IMSA, Magnussen was also recently confirmed as part of Peugeot’s new WEC Hypercar team for 2022.
K-Mag will race alongside fellow ex-F1 drivers Paul di Resta and Jean-Eric Vergne as well as Loic Duval as part of a six-man line-up across the two cars.
