Kevin Magnussen has praised new teammate Mick Schumacher, and said the working relationship between the pair is quite different to what he's experienced with other teammates in the past. Having returned to F1 for 2022 with Haas, replacing the ousted Nikita Mazepin, Magnussen is in the position of being the elder statesman of a team's driver line-up. Previous teammates included Jenson Button at McLaren, fellow rookie Jolyon Palmer at Renault, and a long-term working relationship alongside Romain Grosjean at Haas over four seasons until the end of 2020. Having mentally written off F1 after losing his seat at the end of 2020, Magnussen claimed that he returns in a more relaxed state of mind than he had two years ago – and this also applies to his relationship with his new teammate.
Is Magnussen enjoying leading the Haas team?
Asked whether he is enjoying his new role as a team leader at Haas, Magnussen said he's not taking that mentality into the year. "I don't know if I really see it like that," he told Tom Clarkson on the Beyond the Grid podcast. "I'm the most experienced, of me and Mick [Schumacher]. I'm aware of that and I'm trying to make use of it and help the team with my experience. I don't feel entitled to anything, because I'm the most experienced. I just try and do the best I can for the team really. "It's also an extra pressure, I guess. I feel like Mick is also good. Although he only has one year experience, he's an intelligent guy. It's not like the team doesn't listen to Mick at all, it's very balanced. It's not as big of a difference, as you may think. "I just try and do my thing. I try and be very open to Mick; I don't feel like I need to hide anything."
Magnussen and Schumacher embrace an open dialogue
Magnussen then said that it's the first time in his career that he's felthe's had such an open dialogue with a teammate. "This time around, I don't feel stressed about anything,"Magnussen explained. "If I can help him, that helps the team and that's good for me. "He's very keen to learn, and asking questions. You don't always havethat between drivers – sometimes they're too proud or whatever [and] don't wantto work together and ask questions. Maybe some drivers are scared of showingweakness, but Mick doesn't really care about that. "I feel like that's a little different this time, I'm more relaxed.If he goes better than me, because I've helped him out so much, then I can thenlearn from him and that will then take me to another level. "That's how you build up and bring each other forward. That's what Ihope will happen."
Magnussen tips Schumacher to enjoy success in F1
Magnussen added that the 23-year-old German driver, son of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, has impressed him with his maturity. "First impressions are very good," he commented. "He's a super nice guy, very down to earth and polite, and he's good with everyone. Everyone likes him. Immediately, he's been very open. "He just wants to learn and, in the debriefings, his feedback is good. He doesn't make excuses, he's very honest with the team, if there's something like mistakes or whatever – he's open about that, and not trying to find excuses. "His attitude is very good and he's obviously very talented. "It's kind of tough because he has this surname. His dad is the biggest F1 driver ever. Some people may think that he is here just because he's a Schumacher. But he really has what it takes to be here. He's done what was needed, maybe even more. "Some drivers got here and didn't win F3, like myself! I was second in F3 and loads of other drivers in F1 didn't win everything before. He's a very talented driver and I think he's gonna do well."
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