Magnussen: Fighting for points at best in F1 "becomes old"
Kevin Magnussen is relishing the chance to contend for race victories again after moving into sportscars for 2021, saying that fighting points at best "becomes old" in Formula 1.

Magnussen saw his time with Haas in F1 come to an end in 2020 as the team opted to bring in an all-new driver line-up for the forthcoming season, closing out a four-year stint.
The one-time F1 podium finisher opted to move into sportscar racing for 2021, joining Chip Ganassi Racing's new DPi team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Magnussen will partner Renger van der Zande in the full-season Ganassi entry, with his debut set to come in the Rolex 24 at Daytona later this month.
Magnussen has not stood on a podium since his second-place finish on debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix for McLaren, and last won a race during his title-winning Formula Renault 3.5 campaign one year earlier.
The Dane said the prospect of fighting for race wins again was "hugely exciting", having spent the last couple of years fighting on the fringes of the points with Haas.
"I'm truly looking forward to it, I can't wait," Magnussen told Motorsport.com.
"It makes it all easier. I don't feel sad about Abu Dhabi being my last Formula 1 race. I'm going to miss driving the cars, and especially I'm going to miss the guys in the team. But I can't help just feel excited, looking forward to what's next for me, rather than sad about not being in F1.
"Everyone wants to get to Formula 1, including myself. That's what I've always dreamt of. But after a while, if you can't win races, even scoring points isn't so exciting.
"With Haas, we've done that quite a lot. Recently, not so much. But even getting into the top 10 becomes old.
"That's not a true target, if you're a real winner. That is not going to satisfy you."
Read Also:
Magnussen recorded a best finish of fifth during his four-year stint at Haas, but scored just a single point through the 2020 season, taking 10th place at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Haas slumped to ninth place in the constructors' championship in each of the past two years, finding itself in the 'Class C' battle for much of 2020 along with Alfa Romeo and Williams.
Magnussen explained how it was so difficult for drivers to make a difference due to the disparity in car performance in F1, and was excited by the prospect of being able to do so once again in IMSA.
"In Formula 1, you need to have a great car to be able to win races," Magnussen said.
"Of course one out of 1,000 times it can happen, someone can win who isn't in the best car, but that's more down to luck, and you need some pretty extreme circumstances for that to happen. You can't go out, do it yourself, and make that difference. It's truly impossible.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back in a winning situation again, where I can wake up in the morning and think about how much I'm looking forward to going for the win at Daytona or Sebring or Laguna Seca, etc.
"They're some pretty awesome race tracks and races that I'm going to be able to look forward to."
Related video

Previous article
Mercedes must avoid "exuberance and depression" over driver form
Next article
Damon Hill's 10 greatest Formula 1 races

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Kevin Magnussen |
Author | Luke Smith |
Magnussen: Fighting for points at best in F1 "becomes old"
Trending
Back to Work | Valtteri Bottas' 2021 Seat Fit
F1 Explained | Mercedes Power Unit
How McLaren F1’s new investors have already made an impact
The deal McLaren concluded with MSP Sports Capital last year which will help the cash-strapped Formula 1 team pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, also points toward the future for F1 itself, says GP Racing's Stuart Codling.
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.