Magnussen rules out Haas Formula 1 substitute call up
New Peugeot World Endurance Championship signing Kevin Magnussen has ruled out returning to Formula 1 with Haas if asked to substitute for one of its new drivers in 2021
Magnussen, who was announced as part of Peugeot's 2022 WEC line-up on Monday, was responding to comments from former boss Gunther Steiner.
Steiner claimed that he would be happy to call on either the Dane or fellow Haas refugee Romain Grosjean to stand in for Mick Schumacher or Nikita Mazepin if required, but Magnussen says he wouldn't have "much interest in that".
"Gunther is a good friend, as are many people in the Haas F1 team, but any talk about racing, like a one-off race, I don't have much interest in that," said Magnussen, whose primary programme in 2021 is racing with Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America.
PLUS: Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
"I like to be fully focused on what I am doing and I miss winning. I've done seven years of F1, [so] doing one more race, I don't think is that interesting."
Asked if he was drawing a line under his F1 career, Magnussen replied: "If Mercedes came and asked me if I wanted to drive, I think everyone would look at that very seriously.
"[But] I have given F1 a very fair shot; I think I have done my best to try to be successful.
"I've done it and feel like I'm ready to go and win some stuff again — that's really where I'm at."
Magnussen explained that he believes he has continued to improve as a driver and is ready to move forward in his career after parting company with Haas after four seasons at the end of last year.
"I continued to develop as a driver even though the results [with Haas] weren't getting better," he said.
"I feel like I am in a very good spot — with the experience I had I felt like I was ready to take some sort of step."
He described moving into sportscars and signing for Peugeot to drive in the WEC as "the perfect step for me".
Steiner said last week that Haas had parted company with Magnussen and Grosjean "without fall-out" and "wouldn't mind" having either back, though he conceded that he hadn't talked to either about acting as a substitute.
New Dale Coyne Racing IndyCar driver Grosjean had already stated that he would open to filling in for another driver, at the same time as describing his full-time career in F1 as a "closed book".
Haas is planning to appoint a full-season reserve, a role filled by Pietro Fittipaldi in 2019-20.
The Brazilian, who took Grosjean's place after his accident in Bahrain for the final two F1 races of 2021, remains a candidate for the role, according to Steiner.
Previous article
Autosport Podcast: What we've learned from Hamilton's new F1 deal
Next article
Start-up Monaco team project remains interested in F1 entry
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Drivers | Kevin Magnussen |
| Teams | Haas F1 Team |
| Author | Gary Watkins |
How long can F1 2021's brewing title battle stay clean?
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been evenly matched so far in the 2021 Formula 1 title race. Neither has been afraid to get aggressive against each other on track, teeing up an enthralling contest as the year unwinds. But is their rivalry destined to end in broken shards of carbon fibre?
What the Spain result tells F1 about the next phase of the Mercedes/Red Bull title fight
OPINION: Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have recovered from their pre-season woes to take three wins from the opening four races of 2021. But each time Red Bull and Max Verstappen have pushed them hard. So, what clues did the latest round of that battle – the Spanish Grand Prix – tease about the next stage of the season?
How Brabham’s one-hit wonder was boxed into a corner
The Brabham BT46B raced once, won once, then vanished – or did it? STUART CODLING reveals the story of the car which was never actually banned…
The changes Barcelona needs to provide a modern-day F1 spectacle
Formula 1’s visits to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya over recent years have been met with familiar criticisms despite tweaks here and there to the track to improve racing. With the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix largely going the same way, proper solutions need to be followed to achieve F1’s wider targets
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Often described as Formula 1's laboratory, the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona gave the clearest demonstration yet of the pecking order in 2021. And it's the key discrepancies from that order which illuminate who is excelling, and who needs to hit the reset button
How Red Bull’s deja vu set Hamilton on the winning path in Spain
An aggressive first corner move from Max Verstappen appeared to have set the Red Bull driver on course for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. But canny strategy from Mercedes - combined with the absence of Red Bull's number two from the lead group - allowed Lewis Hamilton to pull off a demoralising reversal
The toe-in-water origins of Lotus’s groundbreaking F1 journey
In the first part of our history of Lotus, DAMIEN SMITH recalls how Formula 1 wasn’t an immediate priority for team founder Colin Chapman – but once he got a taste for it he just couldn’t stop…
How Hamilton’s qualifying record compares to Senna and Schumacher
Lewis Hamilton has just become the first driver to record 100 world championship Formula 1 pole positions. Time to revisit a debate we discussed when he reached 150 front row starts in 2020.
