After a one-year F1 hiatus, great Dane KEVIN MAGNUSSEN has made his comeback to the grid with the Haas team this season. MAXIM goes trackside to chat with the revitalised race veteran…
Kevin Magnussen was a very welcome return to Formula One this year, with the much-loved racer re-joining Haas at the eleventh hour to replace Russian Nikita Mazepin, who was dropped after his nation invaded Ukraine.
Magnussen came back to F1 totally refreshed, having spent 2021 competing in sportscars (IMSA, and Le Mans) and Indycar – and it shows. He has been leading young gun Mick Schumacher from the outset, and with a huge smile given Haas’ competitive car that is again leading the midfield. He’s a man reborn!
Your positivity and excitement driving the Haas car this year has been great to see. How are you enjoying your return to F1?
Yeah, it’s just such an opportunity. I was very lucky to get to Formula One in the first place, first time around. Then I had the year last year where I had to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to be in F1 again and was able to get to a point where I was happy about the fact that I’d made it in the first place. And grateful. And right after getting to that place, I literally get another opportunity. It very much feels like a blessing this time. Maybe last time I was too caught up in frustrations about not being competitive, more focused on the negatives, maybe. This time around I’m just happy to be around.
What were you expecting before you got your first taste of the new cars and what are they actually like to drive?
Well, I didn’t know anything about the cars. I wasn’t focused on F1 because I wasn’t racing, so I had to learn all about these new cars in a very short time and at the end of the day it’s still a Formula One car and a lot of things are still the same on the system side and the way you set-up the car. A lot of things are the same. But then the car drives a little different, the tyres are different and the way the car makes downforce comes from different places on the car, which is new for everyone. So maybe that’s a bit of an advantage when you’ve been out for a year that everyone is kind of starting from a step back having to learn things.
You really blasted from the blocks in Bahrain, qualifying. It must seem a world away from the car you had in 2020?
Yeah, and it’s part of why I still can’t believe this opportunity. You know, you get back in Formula One and also with a competitive car. We can actually dream, and not just hope, about podiums if we get lucky on the right weekend. A few people in front have to have problems. But if you’re in front of that midfield group then you’ll be the first one to step on the podium if something happens in front. So it’s just an amazing opportunity.
Why is the car a joy to drive, as you’ve recently said?
It’s driving well, it’s nicely balanced. But, you know, what really is a joy is to be competitive, that you can actually fight near the front of the midfield and last time out in Jeddah I overtook Lewis Hamilton, and that’s just crazy to think that this car with such a small organisation, we are able to do that on-track. It’s a real joy.
The morale in the team must be sky high at the moment?
Everyone is super-happy about this situation where we’ve got a great car and the whole team deserves to be back in this position. We were in this position back in 2018 and even ’17, ’16, they were there. And then we had ’19 and ’20 and ’21 last year where it was painful. But even the ’19 car had good potential in qualifying, we qualified in the top-five a few times. So the last two years have been tough for the team. But they focused on this car for this year and it’s obviously paid off.
You had a pretty cool 2021 with IMSA, where you won a race, and you also competed in IndyCar, Le Mans. Which did you enjoy the most?
I was enjoying being in a new environment. I’ve always been a big fan of American motorsport, or just generally motorsport outside of Formula One. F1 has been my main focus, and my main passion. But I’ve also been very passionate about motorsport outside of Formula One. I think partly because my dad (Jan) has raced in GTs, well he’s raced in literally everything. And all the things that he has done in those last 20 years I’ve always had one eye on it. And it’s been really cool to try and step into his environment and try some of the things and some of the tracks that I’ve been to as a kid. And actually go out and drive it myself was a really cool thing. And we did Le Mans together – we were teammates. It was a real privilege to be able to do those things because he’s not getting any younger. So, if I hadn’t had that break from Formula One, I wouldn’t have been able to do those things. I’m just grateful for how everything turned out.
You were signed with the team very late. We know that you instantly said yes, but where were you when you got the call?
When Guenther called me, I was literally on the way to the airport to go on holiday to Miami with a couple of my friends and my wife and daughter. We were going to be on holiday for a few weeks before the Sebring 12-hour race and then Guenther called me and I said yes immediately. But I still went to Miami because I was like I’m not going to stay home in case this doesn’t happen. I know how these things work. Sometimes you get a call and you get excited, but then it doesn’t happen. So I thought I’ll go to Miami and we can always book a flight to Miami from Dubai. And then it did happen. I jumped on a plane with my wife and my daughter to Dubai from Miami and it just all happened in a few days. Very uncomplicated.
How quickly was the deal done to get you back to F1? You obviously had to give up all your sportscar commitments.
They [Chip Ganassi and Peugeot] both released me. And I’m super thankful for that – they understood I had to take this opportunity. Any racing driver in the world would take this opportunity over anything else. And Chip Ganassi racing only had two weeks to find a replacement for me, because there was literally two weeks before Sebring, one of the biggest races of the year. And I was really happy to see that they got Neel Jani in the car, who did a great job, along with Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, to win Sebring in my car. I would have loved to have been there and win it with them, but I’m just so happy that this was able to happen.
Have you been impressed with the calibre of Mick, your teammate?
I really like Mick. He’s a super nice kid. And I think his attitude is very focused. He’s very open. He’s not afraid to ask questions. And when you listen to him in his debriefs, he’s never trying to make excuses for anything. He’s always taking responsibility. And I think that shows he’s not afraid of exposing his weaknesses in order to improve. It’s super important. And I think he’s clearly shown in the junior formulas that he’s very talented, winning F3 and winning F2. So he’s 100 per cent earned his place in Formula One. He obviously has this surname that maybe comes with quite a lot of pressure. So if he can try not to focus on that, and stick to his job, then he’s got a very bright future.
How do you approach this collaboration with Mick?
The way I approach it is just to be open. If he has any questions then I’m going to answer them completely openly. And give him all the support I can. It’s not my responsibility to get him to anywhere, but, it’s certainly something that I want to help if I can. And he can do it on his own. He’s a very capable driver and a talented guy. So he’s going to, for sure, learn a lot. He’s got a car that can fight at the front of the midfield and that’s a new situation for him also. It’s going to come.
Away from the track, you’re a relatively new father. How are you going with balancing fatherhood with racing?
I had this last year, when I didn’t have many races, so I got so much time at home with my family, my wife and our daughter. So that was also a blessing. The timing for all of this couldn’t have been better. So now they’re going to come to many races this year, mainly the ones in Europe, maybe a couple of overseas races. But, it’s very good. We live in Denmark and we have a normal life there. I go away for a few weekends during the year. It’s very good. ■
AUTO FOCUS ON SINGAPORE
Formula One makes its long-awaited return to Singapore this October for the sport’s original night race, with a new seven-year deal to keep the celebrated event at Marina Bay until at least 2028, ensuring that the party continues for a whole new generation of fans. “After more than a decade of celebrating this spectacular event on the racing calendar we are looking forward to building on its success and working with Formula 1 as well as its partners to take the night race to greater heights,” said Mr Ong Beng Seng of Singapore GP.
The event is a hugely popular one for Australians, and its recent confirmation comes at the perfect time – with all of us looking to book our first international trips, and get back to having fun, after a challenging two years living with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And Singapore is the place to be in October, with the city-state pumping in Grand Prix week. While the event promises more than just the pinnacle of motorsport, with fantastic hospitality and local cuisine, lots to see and do around the circuit, and a history of bringing in the hottest music acts.
In previous years, we’ve seen acts like The Killers, Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, Ariana Grande, Queen + Adam Lambert, Imagine Dragons, Bon Jovi, Pharrell Williams and more, and 2019 saw a gigantic line-up with Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani and Swedish House Mafia topping the bill. Beyond the track, Singapore is a dream to get around and the city-state is world-renowned for its cuisine, celebrating its Malay, Indian and Chinese heritage. You cannot go wrong, whether you’re booking five-star or budget, and all with just a seven-hour flight from Sydney or Melbourne, or five from Perth. Go for it!
By STEWART BELL
For the full article grab the June 2022 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
