Magnussen relaxed on future as talks over Haas role continue

Kevin Magnussen has vowed to take as much enjoyment as possible from the final three races of the 2024 season, with the Dane’s latest stint at Haas – and on the Formula 1 grid – coming to an end.

Magnussen will lose his seat for 2025 when Haas bring in an all-new driver line-up of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, while the only remaining spot at RB is expected to go to the recently-promoted Liam Lawson.

It is familiar territory for the 32-year-old, who was pushed back to a reserve role after his debut campaign with McLaren in 2014 and got axed by Haas at the end of 2020 – swiftly returning to F1 action on both occasions.

Magnussen made his F1 debut with McLaren in 2014, scoring a podium first time out

Asked how he’s feeling ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Magnussen said: “For myself, I’ve been in this situation twice before, so it’s kind of the third time that I feel like this is going to be the last race. I just know that you never know.

“It’s kind of fine. In a way I don’t really think about it. Next year I’m not going be in F1, that’s pretty clear. I’ve learned over the years with my experiences of F1 that every race you do, you just have to enjoy it – as long as it lasts, enjoy it. That’s my plan.”

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One potential option for Magnussen is to remain at Haas in some capacity, providing support to Ocon and Bearman, with discussions between the two parties ongoing.

“I think we’ve been clear that we want to work together in some capacity,” he commented. “We’re talking about how we could do that. I’m hoping to hear what [Komatsu’s] thinking and see if I can be helpful in any way.”

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - OCTOBER 27: Kevin Magnussen of Denmark driving the (20) Haas F1 VF-24 Ferrari — He has raced for Haas in two stints, returning to the team from 2022

For now, Magnussen is focused on a strong end to his latest chapter at Haas and helping the team in their quest to beat Alpine and RB to sixth position in the constructors’ championship.

“You can’t be confident [about achieving it] at all,” he said, with Haas currently seventh. “We were not even thinking about Alpine, really, in that battle, and then suddenly they’re ahead of us.

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“We feel like we’re in a good place with the car and recently we’ve kind of consistently been in the run for points. Now that Aston Martin are struggling, there’s actually some points available at each race. It’s exciting.

“We’re now three teams [fighting] for that P6, which for the teams means a lot. Whether you finish eighth or sixth is a big thing. For a driver, of course, it’s not like something you put on your CV, but it just means so much for everyone that it’s worth fighting for.”