Kevin Magnussen has revealed he battled despair early in his F1 profession after brutally lacking out on a seat with McLaren in 2015.
Having made his debut for the Woking-based squad in 2014, securing a second-place end on the primary time of asking on the Australian Grand Prix – changing into the primary rookie to attain a podium on debut since Jacques Villeneuve in 1996 – the now-32-year-old needed to endure a season on the sidelines the next yr.
Though, that was not then-CEO Ron Dennis’ plan. In response to Magnussen, the vast majority of the McLaren board needed him to associate Fernando Alonso in 2015, not Jenson Button.
Regardless of the British driver outperforming his rookie team-mate throughout the marketing campaign, not an enormous shock given the numerous disparity in expertise on the time, seven of the 9 board members had been in favour of the Dane taking the seat, together with Dennis, in an substantial majority.
Magnussen had scored factors in 12 of the 19 rounds that yr, ending three locations behind Button within the standings, albeit it on 55 to the 2009 F1 drivers’ champion’s 126.
Nevertheless, the 2 objectors had been Mansour Ojjeh and Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa, the staff’s majority shareholders. They overruled the vote and Magnussen was consigned to his destiny.
“I turned depressed in 2015,” he advised Motor Sport Journal. “I do not thoughts admitting that. I lived to race, and I wasn’t racing.
“Collectively, Mohammed and Mansour had a majority shareholding, so that they used that energy to overrule everybody else, together with Ron, who’d voted for me, and in 2015 I ended up being the reserve driver, which meant nothing actually.
“However Ron stated: ‘Belief me, you may race for us in 2016, or perhaps even earlier than the tip of the 2015 season.’ And, truthfully, I believe he was being honest. That basically was his plan for me.”
Extra missed alternatives
When Alonso was injured in a pre-season testing accident, Magnussen was again within the automotive for the 2015 curtain raiser in Australia.
However, cruelly for the now-veteran of 185 grand prix begins, the brand new Honda energy unit at the back of his McLaren failed on the way in which to the Melbourne grid.
The staff did not fulfil the assurances made to him, and the Danish driver was launched from McLaren on the finish of the season.
He ended up racing for Renault in 2016, however not earlier than he had handed up a possibility with Williams on account of additional guarantees, this time from Éric Boullier.
“So, when Williams contacted my then supervisor Dorte [Riis Madsen] about me racing for them in 2016,” Magnussen added, “I talked to Éric [Boullier, racing director] about it, and he stated: ‘No, stick with us, you may race for us with Fernando subsequent season.’
“And, truthfully, I believe he was being honest, too. So, reassured by each Ron and Éric, I did not pursue the Williams possibility.”
The previous Haas driver additionally had the possibility to race in Japan throughout his yr ready within the wings at McLaren, however didn’t pursue it on the recommendation of Dennis, who appeared to vary his stance for the staff’s subsequent reverse driver, Stoffel Vandoorne.
“I had a suggestion to do some Tremendous Components races in Japan, which might have been cool, however Ron stated I should not,” Magnussen stated.
“In 2016, when Stoffel was the McLaren reserve driver, Ron let him race in Tremendous Components, and he cherished it, successful a few races, so I don’t know why Ron did not enable me to do the identical factor the yr earlier than, however anyway he did not.”
