Magnussen and quiting? 'I want to see the fruits of all the hard work'

Kevin Magnussen will celebrate an anniversary next weekend. The Canadian Grand Prix will be his 150th race (although he started one less) in Formula 1. If it is up to the Dane, it will by no means stop there. Indeed, he wants to continue at Haas for some time to come. "I see a great future for the Haas F1 Team," he said.

Superlatives were in short supply for pundits and journalists. What a debut! After a fourth starting position, a 22-year-old Kevin Magnussen pardlessly finished second at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, the season opener. Never before has a Dane stood on the podium in Formula 1 and Magnussen did it straight away in his first race at the very highest level.

Only once on the podium

In hindsight, that podium finish in Melbourne turned out to be his only one in Formula 1. Magnussen, in his eighth season in F1, did not finish further than about four fifth places. Although that equally insane and unexpected pole in Brazil 2022 should certainly not be forgotten. Of course, the friendly Dane hardly ever had top material at his disposal - far from it - but even in that 2014 McLaren, more could have been possible than eventually came out. Teammate Jenson Button beat Magnussen almost every week.

It is Magnussen's career in a nutshell: on a good day he is outstanding, but mostly he drives a mediocre car outside the points. The fact of not actually competing for anything was one of the reasons, in late 2020, that Magnussen minded at all that Haas did not renew his commitment. His career in F1 seemed to be over and in IMSA he regained the fun and success in motorsport.

'Dreamed of this as a child'

Magnussen has now been back at Haas for a year and a half, celebrating an anniversary this weekend: 150 Grands Prix. "It’s great to have had such a long time in Formula 1," Magnussen says. "As a small kid, I was dreaming of racing in Formula 1 someday and to have reached this many races and have all those years in the sport, I feel very grateful for the opportunity. I’m excited I’m still around and still able to live my dream."

His Haas team is one of many teams in the competitive midfield this season. Only when things are really good will the American team get a car in the points. Two points Magnussen managed to accumulate this season, thanks to a tenth-place finish in Saudi Arabia and Miami. As really always throughout his career, Magnussen has been driving around fairly anonymously. Yet quitting, K-Mag is not thinking about that.

"What I see for my future, I’m in a good spot right now. I’m in a great team of great people and am often given the opportunity to race towards the front. I’ve had many opportunities with Haas and I see a great future for the Haas F1 Team. I very much hope I can be a part of that and live to see the fruits of all the hard work and progress that’s being made at the moment," Magnussen said.