Kevin Magnussen exposes McLaren F1’s toxic pressure, revealing the emotional toll of unrealistic demands during his rookie season in F1.
Kevin Magnussen has shared revealing details about his early struggles in Formula 1, pointing to the intense pressure and poor management he faced during his time with McLaren.
In an interview with Motor Sport Magazine, the Danish driver said the team placed unrealistic expectations on him from day one, expectations that eventually pushed him into depression.
Magnussen joined McLaren in 2014 as a promising rookie, but soon found himself under intense scrutiny.
According to him, McLaren’s senior management, especially then-managing director Jonathan Neale, expected him to match the performance of world champion Lewis Hamilton, even though he was up against another champion, Jenson Button, in his debut season.
“I remember Jonathan and Eric [Boullier, Racing Director] telling me: ‘Lewis was on average 0.15 seconds faster than Jenson in qualifying over three years. To keep your seat next year, you need to beat Jenson by the same margin,’” Magnussen recalled.
“At the time, I accepted it. Looking back, it was completely unfair. Lewis and Jenson were both world champions, with years of experience. They were telling me that unless I was as good in my first year as Lewis was in his third, fourth, and fifth seasons, I’d be out. It was crazy, and honestly, disrespectful to Jenson as well.”
Magnussen now admits that he didn’t push back against the pressure. He was young, excited just to be in Formula 1, and eager to prove himself. “I regret not standing up for myself,” he said. “I was naïve. But to be fair, I was a 21-year-old rookie.”
The pressure, rather than helping him thrive, had the opposite effect. “That unrealistic burden led to mistakes. I had the talent, I had the speed, but I needed emotional and mental support. Instead, McLaren’s leadership gave me none of that.”
“I Fell Into Depression in 2015”
The conversation around mental health in motorsport has gained momentum recently, especially after insensitive comments made about Lando Norris. In that context, Magnussen’s story feels especially relevant.
Despite scoring 12 points finishes and even a podium in 2014, Magnussen was dropped to a reserve role in 2015. He was led to believe he’d return to a full-time race seat, but decisions made by McLaren shareholders Mansour Ojjeh and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa overruled support from Ron Dennis and Eric Boullier.
“I fell into depression in 2015,” he admitted. “I don’t mind saying it. Racing was everything to me, and I wasn’t racing. Mohammed and Mansour held the majority shareholding, and they used that power to override everyone, even Ron, who had backed me.”
Magnussen was promised he’d race again in 2016, or possibly even earlier, but that promise was never fulfilled. He made one start in Australia when Fernando Alonso was sidelined, but that was it. Later that year, Williams offered him a seat for 2016. Yet again, he stayed loyal to McLaren, trusting the assurances he’d been given.
“When Williams reached out to my manager at the time, I spoke to Eric about it. He told me not to go, that I’d race with McLaren alongside Fernando the next season. I believed him. He seemed genuine.”
Magnussen also had a chance to race in Japan’s Super Formula series in 2015, but was blocked from doing so, for reasons that were never fully explained. “It would have been great, just to keep driving. But Ron said no. Funny thing is, when Stoffel [Vandoorne] became the reserve driver in 2016, Ron let him do it, and he did really well. I never understood why I wasn’t allowed the same.”
Now racing with BMW in the World Endurance Championship, Magnussen reflects on those early years with more clarity. “It was a tough time. I’ve learned a lot from it. But that kind of pressure, placed on a 21-year-old rookie, was never going to end well.”
- Discover More>Hamilton’s Ferrari Friction Grows After Miami Radio Rage
- Follow us on >FACEBOOK and >TWITTERfor F1 update