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Kevin Magnussen didn’t have his finest result of the year in Abu Dhabi – the Dane finishing in last place – but results for other drivers meant Haas still wrapped up eighth in the constructors’ championship after what Magnussen called an “adventure” of a year…
The former McLaren and Renault racer finished 17th and last of the runners in the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit but as their rivals AlphaTauri also failed to score, P8 in the championship went to Haas – a big improvement on 2021 when they finished last in the standings without having scored a single point.
“It wasn’t our best race, but we finished eighth in the constructors’. We weren’t able to do much today but luckily, neither was AlphaTauri, so we’ve got P8 and that’s two positions forward from where the team has been the last few years – and I think it’s very important to get those two positions for the future of the team,” said Magnussen after the race.
“And a lot of good things happened this year, so I think everyone is pumped to first of all get a little bit of time off, and then work really hard over the winter to come into next year even stronger.”
‘It’s really been an adventure this year’ – Magnussen looks back on his return to F1 with Haas
Magnussen joked that he expected an “easy year” before a shock late call up to Haas in place of the departing Nikita Mazepin during pre-season testing in March this year.
He went on to score points in his first race back in the sport, and sealed his maiden pole position at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
“Yeah, it’s really been [an] adventure this year,” said the 30-year-old, who had thought his F1 career was behind him.
“Generally I thought I had an easy year ahead of me, and then you know, came back to Formula 1 again and had a fantastic amount of fun. Of course, I’ll remember the pole position well and the first race coming back, getting P5 for the team, so I think there’s a lot we can build on coming into next year. Hopefully we can be moving forward, even a few more positions,” he concluded.
Nico Hulkenberg will join Magnussen at Haas next season as Mick Schumacher departs the team after two years.
ANALYSIS: Why Haas split with Schumacher, how Hulkenberg got the nod – and why Steiner isn’t worried about tension with Magnussen
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