Kevin Magnussen, the Danish racing driver who marched into Formula 1 with big dreams, only for an underperforming Renault and the unfortunate Haas of wasting them all.
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Magnussen, known as K-Mag, was naturally beaming when he signed a contract with the then debutant Haas. In order to sign the Haas contract, Magnussen had to cancel his existing contract with Renault (now Alpine) only after a year with them. But there was a battle of words between the driver and the team boss.
Shortly after the official announcement by the Magnussen-Haas union, Renault publicly claimed that they had kicked Magnussen off the team because they wanted a much more competitive Jolyon Palmer alongside Nico Hulkenberg.
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Daytona Beach, FL, USA; The IMSA Series driver team consisting of Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen and Scott Dixon (01) made a pit stop in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway six minutes before the end because of a flat tire. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Former Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul made it look like the team was dissatisfied with Magnussen, which led to his “dismissal”. But the truth, according to Magnussen’s latest book “All or Nothing,” doesn’t even come close to what the French team had suggested.
According to Soy Motor, a user created a social media thread to reveal what Magnussen commented on in his book. “After Kevin announced to Frédéric Vasseur that he was about to break his one-year deal with Renault to join Haas, Abiteboul called him to let him know that they had chosen Jolyon Palmer for the next season,” he said.
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Kevin Magnussen calls Abiteboul a school child
Magnussen did not lack words to describe his former boss Abiteboul; The Danish racing driver said Abiteboul had the mentality of a school child.
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“Kevin said Abiteboul was like a school kid and wanted to pretend he was the one who kicked Kevin out and even told him he was the one who kicked him out. Cyril then sent out a press release saying Renault Palmer preferred Kevin, ”he said.
Kevin Magnussen from Denmark drives the (20) Haas F1 Team VF-20 Ferrari on the track during practice prior to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images)
“Kevin Magnussen said in an interview that Renault had offered almost everyone their seat and joked that even the Pope had received an offer. Renault threatened to sue him over this remark. And Kevin received a written warning not to return to discuss it. “
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Interestingly, both Magnussen and Abiteboul were shown the door by Haas and Renault at the same time (after the end of 2020). So let’s hear from you – did the two ex-F1 individuals deserve to compete in this sport? Or was it fair enough for the teams to let them go?
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