Kevin Magnussen likely contested his final season in Formula 1 following his exit from Haas at the end of last year, as Oliver Bearman replaced him.
It was unlikely that Haas would renew his contract as the year progressed, especially following his race ban at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix because he accumulated 12 points on his F1 super licence in a 12 month period.
Magnussen was defended by fellow drivers, with many feeling that it was harsh to penalise him for incidents that did not warrant a ban.
After his F1 exit, he has now found refuge in the world of sportscars, where he is competing with the BMW team as part of their hypercar programme.
The first race of the season kicked off at Daytona last weekend, with Magnussen and his team finishing the race in fourth. Magnussen was a contender for the outright victory having started from pole, but damage to his car led to an issue that caused him to drop back.
Discussing what life is like after F1 with BMWBlog, Magnussen says there is one thing that makes a big difference compared to his career in F1.
Kevin Magnussen says sportscar racing more ‘exciting’ than F1
Magnussen has already participated in sportscar racing after he was replaced in 2021 with Haas by Nikita Mazepin, with him taking part in the Chip Ganassi IMSA programme.
He came close to winning the Daytona 24 hours again on that occasion, but a late race puncture shattered any hopes. Magnussen believes racing in sportscars gives him newfound energy that he didn’t have while at Haas.
“I have raced in F1 for the last 10 years and you spend a lot of time just fighting for points and getting into the top 10, top five,” said Magnussen.
“You’re never really thinking about the win so much because in F1 it’s tricky if you’re not in a top car and thinking about the win is unrealistic. With BMW I can actually think about winning and that gives you a very different energy and motivation. It’s more exciting.”
Kevin Magnussen to still have role with Haas
Although he has been ousted from the team, Haas still plans to use Magnussen as a valuable yardstick for their current lineup.
A report suggests that Magnussen will be used as a benchmark during various Testing of Previous Cars outings, to better understand where their 2025 duo are.
Esteban Ocon is set to get priority when they finally do run their 2025 challenger in February, largely due to the fact that he is taller than Oliver Bearman.
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