When a 21-year-old Magnus𝔉sen scored a sensational podium on his F1 debut with McLaren at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, it was eﷺasy to see why he had been tipped as a potential superstar of the future. 

However, a mixed rookie season ended with Magnussen losing his F1 seat at the end of the year💮. After ultimately being released by McLaren, and following a brief spell at an uncompetitive Renault, Magnussen found a new home at American outfit Haas for 2017. 

• Steiner EXCLUSIVE: Being a reluctant star and leading F1 into USA
• Bahrain F1 drive🐭r ratings: Magnussen stars on return in the desert

But four years later Magnussen would once again find himself on the sidelines when Haas replaced him and Romain Grosjean with Nikita Maze👍pin and 🎉Mick Schumacher. 

Away from F1, Magnussen switched to sportscar racing in the United States and ended an eight-yea𝔉r winless run stretching back to his title-winning Formula Renault 3.5 campaign in 2013. He also became a father, with his wife Louise giving birth to baby daughter Laura in January 2021. 

Despite rediscovering the winning feeling and accepting his career in F1 was most likely over, an unlikely and unexpected opportunity fell Magnussen’s way when Haas terminated M𒁏azepin’s contract on the eve of the 2022 season following Russia’s inva✨sion of Ukraine. 

For Magnussen, the lure of returning🔯 to F1 proved too great. He was sold on the idea during a phone call with Haas team principal Guenther Steiner while he ꦡwas preparing for a family holiday. 

"Being out last year kind of made me realise some things about F1 and my time in F1 that perhaps I didn’t fully feel when I was [in it],” Magnussen tells wuqian0821.com ﷽in an exclusive interview at the recent Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. 

“L𒊎ike the appreciation of actually coming out and having a year out of F1, it made me miss it a little bit. I was happy,꧅ I was in a good place and I didn’t think I was going to be back in F1. 

“I thought that chapter had c🦩losed and I was good with thaꦜt. I was looking forward to a lot of other things in my life and then this chance came about and I just felt super excited. I could feel that I wanted to do it. 

“Guenther told me about all the work that went into this car and I couldn’t see why not. When I felt s🌜o excited, why should I turn it down?” 

Magnusse𝓰n’s comeback has coincided with an upswing in form for Haas after two dire years struggling at the very back of the grid. 

Desp🍌ite playing catch up after only having one full day o🅰f testing time to get up to speed with F1’s new generation of cars and Haas’ VF-22 challenger, Magnussen converted seventh on the grid into a stunning P5 finish in the Bahrain season-opener. 

Further top-10 finishes followed in Saudi Arabia and Imola, where Magnussen once again starred in a wet-dry qualifying to put his ♈Haas fourth on the grid for the sprint race.

It has been a magnificent return for Magnussen, who sits 10th in the drivers’ championship and is responsible for Haas occupying eighth place - a൩nd just one point off seventh - in the constructors’ standings. 🐈;

Magnussen described the VF-22 as “one of the most competitive cars” Haa🧔s have ever had. 

Asked whether hဣe thinks a podium for Haas is achievable this year, Magnussen replied: “I don’t think it’s impossible. I don’t think we will be in a situation where we qualify in the top three and finish there as well. I don’t think that’s realistic at all. 

"But I think if you are best of the rest, if you are seventh, let’s say, and consistently seventh, then 🍌it won’t take a lot of cars to not finish and a Safety Car at the right time on a track where you can’t overtake and you might get a podium.&n🅘bsp;

“We’ve seen that in the past. Last year, only ꦦtwo teams didn’t get a podium.  So it’s certainly possible, and I’m certainly dreaming about it. I think the whole team has that little dream inside their minds. 

“We just have to keep our heads down, try to be in front of our com𒀰petitors in the midfield and if we get a podium that wil🔴l be amazing and we will party like crazy.” 

Returning to Haas on good terms 

With 🦹Haas struggling financially, Magnussen and Grosjean lost their seats at the end of 2020 as the team secured a significant title sponsorship deal with Uralkali, which coincided with the arrival of the company boss’ son Mazepin to form an all-rookie pairing with F2 champion Schumacher. 

Magnussen insisted he left Haas on good terms and fully understood the team’s decision to take on a pay driver in Mazepin, who many felt did not deser♓ve a place on the grid on merit, a view that only grew given how comprehensively he was beaten by Schumacher last year. 

“I didn’t take it personally when it happened,” Magnussen says. “I undersꦺtood the tea❀m’s perspective. 

“This sport is very tough in many ways and sometimes hard decisions have to be made for the best of the team. That was the case in 2020 when I lost the seat and I understood why they had to do it and I🐭 didn’t take it personally. 

“We left oᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚn good terms, I didn’t blame the team. That’s life! I had six full seasons in F1, seven years and I was very fortunate to have that in the first place and the opportunity that Haas gave me was a very big one. 

“I was actually just very grateful that they gave me th🔴at opportunity and I ꦯdidn’t blame them.” 

Magnussen, who had previously made it clear he had no desire to return to F1 to struggle towards the rear of the grid, admits he was taken by surprise when Haas got in touch offering hiဣm the chance to reclaim the seat he lost. 

“I was surprised,” Magnussen adds. “I didn’t knoওw what sort of state the team was in financially and I lost my drive in 2020.

“I thought that 𓂃the chance of me being on the list of drivers when Nikita lost his drive, I didn’t think I was on that list. 

"Then Guenther caꦑlled me and I was s🀅uper happy to say yes and join back with my team.” 

Helping a Schumacher 

Magnussen’s teammate Schumacher has had a difficult start to his second year on the F1 grid and has so far failed to jꦡoin the Dane in the points at any of the opening five rounds. 

Schumacher, the son of legendary seven-time world champion Michael, enjoye✅d a fairly comfortable introduction to F1. He joined a Haas team with little to no expectationsܫ due to having uncompetitive machinery, while he easily held the edge over his first F1 teammate. 

If 2021 allowed Schumacher to shine, 2022 has bee🐻n something of a rude awakening. So far, at least, Schumacher has struggled to get close to Magnussen’s benchmark. A great drive in Miami put Schumacher on the verge of his first points, which he threw away in a clumsy crash with Sebastian Vettel. 

Despite a tough start to the season, Magnussen has backed the German to become a successful F1 driver and is willin♌g to lend a helping hand.&nbs♊p;

“I’m very open to give support and advice if needed,” Magnussen says. “Mick is a very caꦛpable driver❀, he knows what he is doing. 

“But he’s learning of course as well and I feel very relaxed and if I can help him do better, that𝔍 will benefit me too. We need to push the team forward as a team and that will come back to us as drivers. 

“He’s very good and the team likes him. He’s working very hard. Studying a lot. He’s an intelligent kid and very talented🅠. 

“I think he has theಞ right attitude to succeed in F1. He’s very honest with himself, ver𒈔y honest with the team and I think he’s going to do well.”