Magnussen admits F1 achievements haven't met ambitions

Kevin Magnussen has conceded that he has failed to match the ambitions he set himself in F1, as he prepares to leave grand prix racing.

Dane Magnussen is leaving Haas at the end of the season, and although talks have been held with other teams, he is not a high-priority options for any of the remaining seats, including those at Mercedes, Alpine or at Stake/Audi. 

The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is set to be his final F1 outing, with Magnussen currently having one podium and one pole position on his CV, although he has not stepped onto the rostrum since the '14 Australian Grand Prix - his F1 debut. 

Since then, Magnussen's best result has been four fifth-place finishes, and has scored just 33 points since returning with Haas for the 2022 season - 10 of which came in his first race back in Bahrain that year.

Former McLaren protege Magnussen came into F1 as a highly-rated rookie, having won the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 series, beating fellow McLaren junior Stoffel Vandoorne to the crown. 

But as his career in F1 draws to a close, Magnussen has freely admitted that his career has not met his expectations.

"I don't know, I mean getting to Formula 1 in itself is pretty tough and a hard thing to do," Magnussen told select media including RacingNews365 when asked for the best moment of his career to date. 

"As a kid, I was dreaming about winning championships and races and setting pole positions, but there has not been a lot of that. 

"There's been a pole position, there's been a podium, but that wasn't my ambition. 

"So although I am happy with the progress I have made from when I started racing to now and having done 10 years of Formula 1, that is not nothing, but I am also kind of ruthless about it. 

"Winning is the goal, there is no hiding away, so why should I sit here and say: 'Oh no, I am happy with what I achieved.' It is not like that, it is not true.

"You can see it from many different angles. 

Wiser with age

As he seeks a new seat in another championship, Magnussen is of the opinion that he is acting at his "peak" given the vast reverses of knowledge he has been able to build up.

"Every year, you get more seasoned and more and more resilient and more robust, it just continues to happen," he said. 

"I do feel like I am getting better and better with experience, nothing can really faze you anymore. 

"Not as much as when I was a rookie, I was a lot different mentally to what I am now, and that is just because of experience. 

"So I think I am at the peak, and next year, I will just continue to [improve]."