The options on the Formula 1 driver market are dwindling. After the contract extensions of Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll announced in Austria on Thursday, two more cockpits are officially off the table. However, the future of Kevin Magnussen, whose contract with Haas expires at the end of the year, is still unclear.
“I’m a contender for a few seats and that’s great,” says Magnussen, referring to his current role in the driver carousel. “It’s all very open at the moment and there’s a good chance that the established guys will get a seat in the end anyway.” Magnussen is currently in his ninth season as a regular driver in Formula 1 and his seventh with Haas.
Magnussen struggles with Haas: Consistency was never there
“It feels like the potential has always shown itself at certain points in time. The highs were very high,” says Magnussen, referring to the US team. “But there was never a podium and there was never that season where everything just worked and the consistency was there. It feels like there is potential and you see the talent in the team. It’s almost like a bit of unfulfilled potential.”
Magnussen’s words do not sound like a clear commitment to Haas, although the Dane notes: “I would think it is quite fulfilling to be a part of it after so many years (to exploit the potential; ed.).” Apart from Haas, Magnussen’s options on the driver market seem limited anyway. Other teams currently consider other drivers to be the favored option, most notably Carlos Sainz.
And it is also far from certain whether Magnussen will be offered a new contract at Haas, where Ferrari jewel Oliver Bearman is considered a given. Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu, who has been in office since January 2024, recently confirmed talks with other drivers. “That’s part of the game,” Magnussen said. “I’m not surprised he’s talking to other drivers, otherwise he wouldn’t be doing his job.”
At least when it comes to communicating his uncertain future at Haas, Komatsu is open to Magnussen. “I really appreciate that. Because I’ve had team bosses in the past who weren’t honest and told me nonsense,” Magnussen reveals. Given the current situation, ending his career in Formula 1 is also a possibility – even for Magnussen himself. “It’s been a long journey. I’ve been in the middle of the pack pretty much every year I’ve been in Formula 1 at the age of 31. I’m also starting to think that if I’ve finished my motorsport career and only done Formula 1 in the middle of the pack, that will feel empty in a way.”
“I watch some of these races, Le Mans, Indy 500. And I see these guys winning and they look damn happy,” Magnussen continued. “Luckily there are great things outside of Formula 1. I’ve been part of it a few times when I wasn’t in Formula 1 and it’s a great life. That attracts me a little bit.”
Words that are reminiscent of Magnussen’s last departure from Formula 1 at the end of 2020. Back then, too, the driver happily set out into the diverse world of motorsport in the hope of victories after leaving Haas and, among other things, joined Peugeot’s hypercar project in the WEC. When Günther Steiner called in 2022 because Nikita Mazepin’s cockpit had become vacant, Magnussen did not hesitate and later admitted that he had missed Formula 1.
Just over two years after his Formula 1 comeback, Magnussen now seems to be back at a similar point to where he was in 2020. “The dream was always to be successful in Formula 1, to win races and world championships in Formula 1. But after 10 years in the sport without getting there, it may be coming to an end,” Magnussen describes.
Magnussen struggles with Formula 1 pressures: Is it worth it?
An end to Magnussen’s career is not only conceivable from a sporting perspective. The increasing pressures of the racing calendar are also taking their toll on the 173-time GP starter: “When I think about my future and it’s not Formula 1, I have the feeling that it won’t be bad at all. It actually feels a bit like the opposite to me. It comes at a high price to be in Formula 1. And sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it.”
In addition to age, there is another difference to 2020 in this respect: Magnussen is now the father of two children. “It’s 24 races and as a family man that’s a high price. It’s not just these 24 races. There are many other things too, it just fills your year 100 percent and it’s not easy to do anything else,” said Magnussen. “And I’m passionate about other things, especially in motorsport, but also outside of motorsport.”
If Magnussen does indeed retire from Formula 1 at the end of the year, the former McLaren protégé would, by his own admission, look back on his career without regret: “I don’t feel like I’ve achieved much in Formula 1. But if I look at it from a different perspective, the fact that I’ve been in the sport for so long is an achievement in itself. There’s just a lot to be said about winning races and I haven’t done that for a long time. I miss that.”
Kevin Magnussen is not the only one facing an uncertain future in Formula 1. Daniel Ricciardo is also facing a new question mark following recent comments by Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko. Find out how the Australian reacts here: