Magnussen frustration reaching boiling point: 'It's a shitty, shitty situation'

Kevin Magnussen has said the start of this F1 season has been the "most frustrating" of his career.

The 31-year-old feels things are not clicking and that he is facing a constant "uphill struggle". The Danish driver has taken a single point from the opening eight grands prix, whilst team-mate Nico Hulkenberg has six points from four top-10 finishes, including the Miami Grand Prix sprint. 

Magnussen is hopeful he can turn his season around, highlighting the strong package Haas has developed over the winter and in the early part of the year.

The campaign took another turn for the worse when a technical infringement on the American team's rear wings was discovered after qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, leading to both cars being disqualified.

After starting the race from the back, his collision with Red Bull's Sergio Perez in the second corner put both drivers into retirement, with Hulkenberg also caught up in the melée.

"It's not good to see both cars in one crash," lamented Magnussen, speaking to media, including RacingNews365. "It sucks. It's a shitty, shitty situation.

"It's probably been the most frustrating start to a year I've ever had. It just seems like [an] uphill struggle all the time. It's not clicking. So, hopefully, we can turn things around. We have a strong package, so we have to use it."

'I hate stating bad luck'

Pressure is mounting for Magnussen. Despite playing the team role to his own personal expense this season, speculation he will be replaced at the end of the year is gaining traction.

It is now being reported that either Zhou Guanyu or Esteban Ocon is more likely to partner Oliver Bearman at Haas next season.

With Hulkenberg moving to Stake F1 for the Audi project, the Prema F2 driver is expected to join the team at the start of 2025 after impressing on his F1 debut for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Carlos Sainz contracted appendicitis. Nothing, though, has been confirmed yet.

Regardless of the uncertainty surrounding his future at Haas, Magnussen is focused on getting his current campaign back on track.

Asked as to what is not clicking, and whether it was a case of bad luck, he replied: "I hate stating bad luck because a lot of times you have something to say in it, even though things aren't going your way and you feel like you're not getting lucky. You can't have that as an excuse. 

"So, we have to keep our heads cool and stay positive about the strong package we have and try to have it click."

The 31-year-old finds himself in the precarious position of being on 10 FIA super licence penalty points out of a possible 12. 

Therefore, he must navigate the rest of the season without accumulating more than one - whilst most infractions carry a punishment of at least two. If he cannot, he faces a weekend on the sidelines with a race ban. 

In a turn of good fortune, the stewards opted not to investigate his lap one incident with Perez, which some viewed to be his fault - which the Haas driver disagreed with.

However, when asked if he felt that verdict, or rather, the lack of any further action was fair, Magnussen was not keen on being drawn in on the matter.

"I would have been very surprised," he said when RacingNews365 queried if he was worried in the immediate aftermath that he would be found responsible for the crash, adding: "I better not speak on this subject."