Magnussen: I’m going to go all out for the Imola Sprint Race

The popular Haas driver became an instant sensation when he returned to replace Nikita Mazepin, since then the Dane has delivered strong results with a decent car and despite the lack of F1 fitness, he has endured thanks to his unexpected return to the F1 grid.

Magnussen is relishing the prospect of the Sprint race on Saturday at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari: “I think it’s good that they’ve added points for finishing eighth and higher because there’s a pay bonus for points so I’m going to go all out, and the racing is going to be great!

"I think it’s interesting as last year sometimes it was a little less exciting as people were more conservative because there wasn’t as much at stake. Now that there are [more] points, I think we’ll see more tough racing, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Consider that Magnussen was prepping for the vastly different discipline of endurance racing at Sebring with Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac when he got the call up to be on the grid for the Bahrain season opener with Haas.

Despite his lack of F1 readiness plus no testing he grabbed the opportunity and stunned everyone with fifth place in his comeback race - his best result in F1 since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. Kevin was back!

Notably, Magnussen's return coincided with the first year of the new F1 rules package, which comes with its own challenges: “The cars are lower and they’re also stiffer, so kerb riding is a little harder than it used to be with the old cars.

"We’ll see, I hope whatever challenges these new cars have we can still be in the competitive range in terms of kerb riding. Again, I think our car is all-round very strong so it should be alright," explained the Dane who raced F1 at Imola in 2020 when the race returned to the F1 calendar in 2020 as a substitute during the height of global coronavirus pandemic.

Magnussen said: “Imola is an awesome track but the characteristics and speed-wise – corner speeds and straights – make it a more average track. As it has a bit of everything, and this car is all-around good, I think we should be able to do well there. I’m looking forward to it because it’s an awesome track.”

“As a racing driver I feel strongly about going to tracks that have history, but I also see that Formula 1 has to expand and that it is good for the sport to go to new places and reach new fans," concluded Magnussen, who lies ninth in the drivers' championship standings after three rounds.