Kevin Magnussen stated a return to System 1 appeared unattainable till Haas boss Guenter Steiner requested him to come back again as a substitute for Nikita Mazepin.
Magnussen, who left Haas and System 1 on the finish of 2020, was confirmed to return at Haas on Wednesday, forward of a pre-season check in Bahrain this week.
The comeback was a shocker, particularly for Magnussen himself, who was mentally at peace with the concept of by no means coming again.
“I used to be in a cheerful place when Gunter referred to as me, good place,” Magnussen stated.
“2023 was actually enjoyable for me, I had a daughter, she’s again in Denmark, I had a season at IMSA that I loved quite a bit, had numerous enjoyable, raced IndyCar, did Le Mans with my dad, so I wasn’t actually enthusiastic about F1 that a lot.
He then famous his lack of sponsorship, saying: “I actually accepted that F1 was a closed class, however then after all I noticed Mazepin was out of Haas, I did not suppose I had an opportunity to go there as a result of I nonetheless did not convey a lot aside from my driving expertise for the crew, So I believed it was nonetheless not attainable.”
Magnussen has given a number of interviews over the previous 12 months saying he would not need to return to System 1 if he was coming to a again crew or midfield, saying he wished to win races, having spent his final two races in a Haas automobile in the back of the sphere.
Though the aggressive standings for this season is unknown, Haas is unlikely to be the crew that may defeat this season.
When requested what made him change his thoughts, Magnussen stated, “I do not know however I did. In a short time!”
“I believe saying all these issues when you do not have an opportunity to go to System One is one factor, whenever you truly sit down with an opportunity to come back again it is totally different. It is also a approach of coping, there isn’t any cause to say if you wish to return, I used to be requested quite a bit and I am uninterested in these questions, so it is simpler to take care of if I say I am trying ahead and have progressed, however then whenever you get an opportunity, you’re taking it.”
When it was confirmed that Mazbein’s tenure with the crew was over, Steiner had just one driver as his substitute, and he referred to as Magnussen whereas the Dane was getting ready to go on vacation to Miami together with his household.
“When he referred to as me, I stated sure straight away,” Magnussen stated. “Then after that I considered it! When he requested me immediately I stated sure, you recognize these hurdles turned very clear that I’ve contracts with different groups, all these ideas about do I want this, however I had the preliminary feeling I had when Gunther referred to as Very clear.”
Two of these hurdles are an IMSA contract with Chip Ganassi Racing and a WEC contract with Peugeot, each of which Magnussen needed to get out of earlier than the switch was confirmed.
