Kevin Magnussen’s talks with Red Bull
However, Magnussen could have had a different career path had the talks with Red Bull worked out. The Dane revealed he had talks with the energy drink company’s team after Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault for the 2019 season.
According to Magnussen, Red Bull had already selected Pierre Gasly as the Australian’s replacement. However, there was an open seat at Toro Rosso (now named AlphaTauri).
Speaking to BT, the Dane said:
Despite a chance to join the Red Bull family, Magnussen decided to stay loyal to Haas. The Dane had a brilliant 2018 season, narrowly finishing 5th behind Renault in the constructors’ standings. For most of the season, Haas were the fourth-best team on the grid. However, a disastrous season-opener at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix became the difference between fourth and fifth on the table. Haas had their cars running in P5 and P6 at Albert Park, however, both cars suffered from terrible pit stops which led the team to retire from the race.
Speaking about his decision not to join the Red Bull family, Magnussen said:
Red Bull then chose Thai-British driver Alex Albon for the vacant Toro Rosso seat. Albon was later promoted to the Red Bull seat midway through the 2019 season after disastrous performances by Gasly. Magnussen’s career could have been very different today, and perhaps he would still be in the sport.
However, Haas never displayed the same pace following the 2018 season, and after two years of struggling as backmarkers, team principal Guenther Steiner released both drivers in favor of two rookies for the 2021 season.
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