Kevin Magnussen is gearing up for what could be the final ten races of his Formula 1 career with Haas. The 31-year-old Dane, who was recalled to the F1 grid in 2022 by then-Haas team boss Guenther Steiner, finds himself at a crossroads after being outperformed by teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
In the highly competitive world of Formula 1, your latest race results and comparisons to your teammate are paramount. Unfortunately for Magnussen, he has fallen short on Saturdays and has been outscored on Sundays by Hulkenberg. Despite playing the team game and contributing to Haas securing seventh place, Magnussen’s overall performance and reputation have taken a hit. Accumulating ten super license points while only securing five World Championship points, his current standing has led Haas to confirm an all-new driver lineup for 2025, featuring Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon.
Kevin Magnussen has just two feasible options left for a seat in 2025: Alpine and Sauber. However, there have been few indications of interest from either team. Undeterred, Magnussen remains pragmatic about his situation. Speaking to Motorsport-Total, he acknowledged, “I’ve been in a situation like this before, it doesn’t bother me too much. Of course, I would have liked to stay here, but that’s just part of it. This is just another step on this journey.” While hopeful about landing a seat with Alpine or Sauber, he is clear about one thing—he will not settle for a reserve driver role. “No, no. No chance!” he asserts. “Why should I travel to 24 races to maybe get one more race? I have competed in almost 200 races, so I don’t need this one more. Absolutely not.”
Reflecting on his career, Magnussen remains open to other motorsport avenues should his F1 journey come to an end. Before being called back to Haas, he had signed with Peugeot’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) team for the 2022 season and competed in the IMSA series in 2021 with Chip Ganassi, even making a one-off appearance in IndyCar for McLaren. When asked about his future plans, he replied, “All of the above. I think everything is on the table in that case. So, yeah, it’s hard to… I’ll see what’s available out there and make my mind when I get there. Right now, I’m in Formula 1 and there’s still a couple of seats open for next year that I’d like to see where all that ends up and then look at things afterwards.”
As the 2024 season approaches its final stages, Kevin Magnussen faces an uncertain future in Formula 1. While he remains optimistic about securing a seat with Alpine or Sauber, his unwillingness to accept a reserve role makes his path forward unpredictable. Regardless of what comes next, Magnussen views it as just another step in his ongoing motorsport journey.
