Kevin Magnussen has been reflecting on the moments in his F1 career that could potentially have led to him going on another trajectory – including a possible move to the Red Bull stable where he might have eventually ended up racing alongside Max Verstappen.
Magnussen made his debut for McLaren in memorable style at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw him claim his first podium. It would prove to be his last, however, as the Dane was unable to match that result during the rest of the season, leading to him ultimately losing his seat to Fernando Alonso in 2015 – which would then impact his future path in the sport.
«It took McLaren 10 years to get back to the form they had in 2012,” Magnussen explained in an interview with Autosport. “And I hit it right at the beginning of that downward trend. And if I had come two or three years earlier, it would have been a different story.
«I think I was also unlucky to lose my seat at the end of that year. You know, I had been quicker than Jenson [Button], on pace. He’d outscored me by far in the races. But it was quite clear what I had to change.
«I just had to finish the races, you know, just calm down a bit. It was not like I needed to do things better. I needed to hold back a little – and then I think it would have been a completely different performance in terms of consistency and so on.
«I think I was unlucky to lose that seat that year, and that kind of changed my trajectory and my career loop.»
Magnussen ended his first F1 race on the podium alongside Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo
After a year on the sidelines as a reserve driver for McLaren in 2015, Magnussen returned to the grid with Renault in 2016 before joining Haas in the following campaign, a time in which the Danish driver felt positive about what could lie ahead as various potential opportunities started to arise.
«It was my third year in F1. I was 24 or something… 23? You know, anything was still possible,” he continued. “I still believed it was possible. And there were moments when I felt it was going in that direction.
«In 2018, we had a really good car in the first half of the year. Charles [Leclerc] had just arrived in F1 with Sauber. And the start of his first season wasn’t great. And mine was really good! And then suddenly Ferrari was reaching out.
«Suddenly I was driving in their simulator, not for Haas, but for Ferrari. They were sniffing around. And I thought, okay… I was already getting excited about where this was going. But then Charles started to really kill it! And I heard nothing.
«I don’t know how close it got. But I think if Charles had not started to perform, if he had had a s***** season all year long, I think I would have been one of the drivers they would have looked at. Sometimes you feel like you are getting close, but still not that close. That’s the way it goes.
Magnussen competed in his last F1 race for the time being at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi
«And after that season, Daniel [Ricciardo] left Red Bull, and I remember my management speaking to Christian Horner, because of course everyone was talking about the Red Bull seat. And Christian said, ‘Look, there’s nothing at Red Bull, but we can talk about Toro Rosso’. And I said, ‘No, no, let’s not do that,’ which I probably should have done.
«It was Gasly who took that [Red Bull] seat. [Alex] Albon was promoted from F2 to Toro Rosso, and then Gasly didn’t do a good job – and Albon came in! So, you know, the guy who got that Toro Rosso seat ended up at Red Bull.»
As he prepares to embark on a new chapter away from F1 – with his second stint racing for Haas having come to an end after the 2024 season – Magnussen believes that he could have improved in certain areas during his time in the sport but ultimately leaves with no regrets.
«I could have done more, for sure,» he conceded. «You know, I don’t think anyone can say ‘I couldn’t have done more’. I think there will always be things… There were times when I didn’t work hard enough.
“But then there were times when I worked my butt off. I don’t really have any regrets. I don’t think there’s anything I could have done to change the course of my career. I really doubt that.”
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