Kevin Magnussen reflects on ‘real privilege’ of F1 career as Nico Hulkenberg shares pride in Haas efforts despite team losing out on P6 in Abu Dhabi

Haas narrowly lost out on P6 in the constructors’ standings to a high-flying Alpine side, but Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg left Abu Dhabi satisfied with the team’s consistent performance in 2024, even though the finale didn’t quite go as planned.

For Magnussen, his race got off to an incredible start as he stormed through the pack from P14 to P7 on the opening lap, but a slow pit stop on Lap 12 dropped him back down the order.

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He remained in contention for points before a collision with Valtteri Bottas ruled him out – the Kick Sauber locked up heading into Turn 7 before sending the Dane into a spin that forced him back to the pits for another tyre change.

He crossed the line as the last of the finishers down in 16th, but switching onto the soft tyres allowed him to set the fastest lap of the race around the Yas Marina Circuit by almost two seconds to round off his final Formula 1 weekend in style.

Kevin Magnussen of Denmark driving the (20) Haas F1 VF-24 Ferrari on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 08, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images) — Magnussen set the fastest lap of the race for the third time in his career

“I think they just wanted to let me feel the car one last time on low fuel and new tyres,” Magnussen said when asked about his fastest lap. “Formula 1 cars in these conditions, low fuel and new tyres – it’s phenomenal.

“Since we were out of the race anyway, I guess they just wanted to give me that little bit of fun at the end, and I enjoyed that.”

The 32-year-old announced ahead of the season finale that he will be moving to BMW as a works driver, bringing an end to his extensive career in F1 that has seen him drive for McLaren, Renault and Haas.

He said: “At the end of the day, you’ve got to look at it from a broader view and say okay, I wanted to win, I wanted to be champion. I didn’t manage that but on the other side, I was a small kid dreaming of Formula 1 25 years ago and I managed to get 10 years in the sport that I desperately dreamt of competing in. That’s been a real privilege.”

Nico Hulkenberg of Germany and Haas F1 looks on prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 08, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) — Hulkenberg was crucial in helping Haas to improve from P10 in 2023 to P7 in 2024

His team mate Hulkenberg will remain on the grid next season, moving to Kick Sauber to race alongside the 2024 Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, while Haas welcome an all-new lineup of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman.

In his second year with the American team, Hulkenberg scored 41 points to keep them in a tight battle for P6 in the constructors’ – though a late surge from Alpine ultimately saw them edge out Haas by seven points, helped significantly by their surprise double podium in Brazil.

Questioned on what it was like to narrowly miss out in Abu Dhabi despite finishing the race in eighth place, the German driver said: “Frankly speaking, [Brazil] was where Alpine did all the damage and from there onwards, they have done really well obviously. They recovered so much performance in the last quarter of the season. It’s been pretty impressive.

“As for us, we’ve been consistently plugging away, scoring points all season long from the beginning to the end, so fair play to us. We’ve done really well if you consider where we finished last year, and that’s what I’m mostly happy and proud about.

“It was real fun to be part of the process, fun to be part of this team – I’ve really enjoyed myself these two years and leaving happy and with a smile.”