Magnussen not interested in being an F1 substitute for Haas

New Peugeot World Endurance Championship driver Kevin Magnussen says he doesn’t have “much interest” in returning to Formula 1 as a stand-in for one of Haas’ new signings in 2021.

After losing his Haas seat at the end of 2020, bringing to a close a six-season run in F1, Magnussen will compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America this year with Chip Ganassi Racing, while the Dane has also been signed by Peugeot to form part of its 2022 WEC line-up.

With stand-in and reserve drivers becoming more important amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said he would consider calling upon the services of former drivers Magnussen or Romain Grosjean if the American outfit needed a substitute to replace either Mick Schumacher or Nikita Mazepin this year.

But while Grosjean indicated that he would be open to stepping in for a one-off appearance for an F1 team, Magnussen says it is not a prospect that appeals to him.

“I think it’s pretty difficult to say at this moment,” Magnussen said about being a potential F1 stand-in. “I don’t think it would really be that interesting.

“I’m always going to be there for the team, I spent some good years with them and I’ll be available for advice. Guenther is a good friend, as are many people in the Haas Formula 1 team. But any talks about racing for like a one-off race, I don’t really have much interest in that.

“I like to be fully focused on what I’m doing, and I think, again, I miss winning too much. I’ve done seven years in Formula 1 – doing one more race, just for the matter, I don’t think it’s that interesting.”

Asked whether that meant he considered his F1 career to be over, Magnussen replied: “Pretty much.

“I mean, if Mercedes came and asked if I wanted to drive, I think everyone would look at that very seriously. But I think I’ve given Formula 1 a very fair shot.

“I think I’ve tried my best to be very successful in this sport, I feel very very lucky to have been able to live my childhood dream of racing in Formula 1, I have a trophy at home from a Formula 1 race, which is something I was dreaming about as a kid.

“I just feel like I gave it a good shot, I’ve done it and I feel like I’m ready to go and win some stuff again, so that’s really where I’m at.”