INSIGHT: Why Kevin Magnussen was ready to leave F1 for Ganassi

It has been one hell of a week if you work for the Haas F1 Team. Romain Grosjean’s terrifying crash on Sunday kicked off a manic chain of events that included Pietro Fittipaldi being announced as his replacement on Monday, Nikita Mazepin as a 2021 driver for the team on Tuesday and Mick Schumacher as Mazepin’s teammate on Wednesday.

Throughout all of that Grosjean was in hospital until being discharged on Wednesday and then arriving at the track on Thursday to see his team, and thank the safety crews that helped save his life.

But Thursday also brought another Haas-related announcement when Kevin Magnussen was confirmed as a Chip Ganassi Racing driver in IMSA next year, partnering Renger van der Zande. It means the talented Dane will leave the F1 paddock for the States, and the passion as he talked RACER through the decision to move was clear to see.

“I kind of knew what the situation was like at Haas, I kind of put two and two together with the amount of money I knew the team had to find for next year,” Magnussen explained. “I was thinking, 'I know there are some drivers out there that can bring quite a bit of that margin,' so I knew that it was looking that way. I thought maybe they’d be able to keep one of us and just keep one driver, but at the end of the day I thought that chances really weren’t that good.

“And also, I already was at a point where I really, really missed winning. I began not really looking forward to the race weekends so much, which is a great shame because motorsport is my life -- it’s the biggest passion that I have in life. My family and my friends are the most important things, but the thing that I’m most passionate about in life is motorsport.

“To then suddenly feel that you’re not quite looking forward to the races as much as you have been earlier is not a good feeling, and that’s when I thought it’s probably time to look at my options outside of Formula 1.

Kevin Magnussen (left) credits his veteran racer dad, Jan Magnussen, with keeping his eyes open to motorsports options outside of F1. Richard Dole/Motorsports Images

“I know that there's a lot of very, very cool things out there because I’ve been exposed to it in a way because of my dad. I’ve been at these races, I’m aware of the things outside of Formula 1 -- I think a lot of drivers in Formula 1 walk around with their blinders on and they don’t really see other things than Formula 1.

“They think it’s just Formula 1, but I’ve been exposed to it, I’ve been at the races, I’ve seen the passion that my dad has for all sorts of other forms of motorsport -- whether that be IndyCar, Le Mans, DTM, NASCAR, he’s done it all.

“So I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to do other things and I always looked forward to that time. I knew there would be a day when Formula 1 would come to an end for me, and that then I would want to try all these other things that I dream about. It became more and more tempting to move on.

“Of course, my main goal since I was a kid was to become world champion in Formula 1. That was my ultimate goal, the thing that I dreamed about at night, waking up in the morning thinking. ‘I’ve got to do it, I can do this.’ And to suddenly see that come to an end is a really strange feeling, because it’s such a big part of me.

“It’s kind of, the child that I was, was all about that. So it’s kind of like closing the chapter to my childhood in a way; seeing my Formula 1 career come to an end is like seeing my childhood come to an end. So that feels a bit odd, but at the same time I’m really, really looking forward to getting back to real racing again, like thinking about race wins and going to cool tracks.

“I’ve realized how much I’ve missed all the… I want to say little things, but they’re not little things! Like the tracks, the cool tracks, the sounds of race cars, the racing and the winning and all of the things I was passionate about growing up as a kid. Formula 1 is awesome in so many ways -- it’s so relentless. It’s the fastest cars on earth, the best engineers, the biggest R&D setups, there’s no compromises anywhere. Even just driving these cars is a massive experience, but there’s a lot of things that I miss and I look forward to getting back to now."

At 28 years old, it’s early for Magnussen to be walking away from F1. Not that it means the door is firmly closed, but a switch to the U.S. could have waited, especially as he had offers to remain on the grid.

“There was (concrete interest), and it required some commercial stuff but actually that was possible," he said. "But I just didn’t think that I’d really have the motivation that I’d need to do it. I feel right now that I’m the best I’ve ever been as a racing driver, and of course with the experience I’ve got. I’ve been in this paddock for eight or nine years now -- six seasons as a race driver; three different teams in McLaren, Renault and Haas -- so some big teams as well as a small team. All that experience has made me a good and rounded racing driver.

“So I felt like I was ready to take the next step, either towards a bigger team in Formula 1 or towards a challenge where I can really get something out of that ability I have as a racing driver. Whereas it’s easy to kind of feel like it’s wasted racing around at the back, and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if it’s Formula 1 or whatever it’s called, if you’re not winning you’re not winning, so the feeling is the same.”

Going into each F1 weekend knowing his efforts would largely be confined to battling among the backmarkers has begun to grate on Magnussen, here (No. 20) battling Haas teammate Romain Grosjean and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

After Williams sounded out the commercial package Sergio Perez could bring if it looked to replace George Russell in 2021, Magnussen added: “It wasn’t a team that was going to be winning for sure, even maybe scoring points, so it just wasn’t really what I needed.”

What Magnussen felt he did need was not only a drive that satisfied his immediate cravings, but also opened up doors to many potential other options, and he feels he’s found the perfect partner in Ganassi.

“Initially we were talking to IndyCar teams, that’s where Ganassi really came into the picture for obvious reasons. They won the championship and are kind of the best team around. Then that didn’t happen for various reasons, but they came back with this opportunity with Cadillac and I thought that fitted right into my plans.

“I wanted to join Ganassi -- that was my main target when I was talking to Indy teams -- and since that didn’t happen, when they came with his opportunity I thought that was a great one.

“I certainly haven’t committed to IMSA with Ganassi only because I have an interest in IndyCar. But it is a plus. It’s kind of an add-on, a bonus that they also have a super successful IndyCar team, and they also have a NASCAR team, and they also have Extreme E -- they have all sorts of things.

“That’s just a bonus, but I do think that I’ve joined the team that can give me the best chance of winning races and championships next year, so that was the main priority, not really so much thinking forward. But there’s no doubt that with Ganassi there’s all sorts of opportunities.”

The prospect of racing on a new set of “awesome” racetracks with a realistic chance to win has Magnussen fired up, as do the prospects for additional opportunities it could open up for him. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

And speaking of the doors that could be opening in future by joining Ganassi, Magnussen insists he’s not going to be looking back over his shoulder at the one starting to close behind him when he leaves F1.

“I struggle with the whole thing about trying too hard to keep a door open in Formula 1. My door is always open -- if an opportunity comes here I would always look at it, but at the same time, when I do something I want to do it fully and I want to commit to it.

“Say this Ganassi deal, when they came and asked me if I was interested in that, I wouldn’t like saying, ‘Yeah I’m interested but I’ll have to have an exit clause if there is a chance in Formula 1.’ I just wouldn’t find that natural. Now that’s what I’m doing, I’m fully focused on that and committed to that and looking forward to it.”

And why wouldn’t he be? Based on all the things that Magnussen said he was missing about racing, his new drive provides it -- even if he’s slightly wary of his wife’s due date as he reveals the pair are expecting their first child in a little over two months.

“I know that I’m going to spend most of my time over there during the season, which I’m looking forward to as well. We’re having a kid in February, so hopefully she can do it on the due date because otherwise I’ll struggle to be there! So there’s some practicalities there with my wife and the kid but I’ll certainly be there most of the year.

“I remember the first time I looked through the calendar. I was like, first race, Daytona 24: ‘Oh, great race.’ Next one: ‘Oh that’s a great race!’ and the next one: ‘Oh f*** that’s a mega race!’

“It’s just one awesome racetrack after another -- I’m going to do Daytona 24, I’m going to do Sebring, I’m going to do Petit Le Mans, I’m going to finally get to drive Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Road America. I can’t wait!”