Kevin Magnussen's shocking revelation after Haas driver's red flag-inducing crash at 2023 F1 Australian GP

Kevin Magnussen has said that he did not even feel the impact after he brushed the wall in the 2023 F1 Australian GP. On lap 54 of the race, the Dane grazed the wall at turn 2, which broke the rim of the right rear wheel. This caused the tire tube to slip out of the wheel barrel.

Though these kinds of collisions are usually felt inside the cockpit, Kevin Magnussen did not feel this particular one. Speaking to the media afterward, he said:

"I didn’t even feel it, so it definitely wasn’t something that felt big in the car. But it was enough to crack the rim and take the tire off. Unfortunate – we were in P12, so at the time it didn’t look like we would be able to score points. So, not my day, and it seemed like again, the car seemed to have decent pace, so I’m encouraged by that, and we’ll push next time."

Later on, the Haas driver summed up his race and explained how he gradually lost positions due to safety cars and red flags. He said:

"I think we got unlucky with the red flag because we’d just pitted out of P11 and we seemed to be quicker than the next couple of cars, so I was fairly confident at that stage of the race, and then we pitted under the Safety Car...and then that turned into a red flag, and then everybody put their tires on...to [go to] the end. So I was last."

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"A podium would definitely mean more now" - Kevin Magnussen

Kevin Magnussen also explained how a podium finish now would mean a lot more to him than when he first joined F1 back in 2014. The Dane recalled how podiums and wins were more frequent for him in the junior racing categories. Speaking to F1i, he said:

"A podium would definitely mean more now than back then though. Back then, I was in a whole different mindset, as I came from junior categories where podiums, wins and championships were a regular thing. Getting on the podium in Formula 1 was a big thing but it was also something that I almost expected and anticipated, whereas reality showed later on that it wasn’t going to be the norm."

Kevin Magnussen added:

"Now, it would mean so much more because it’s not something I’m anticipating as such – I’m dreaming, hoping and working towards it – but it’s not something we can expect, so it would mean a million times more than it would back then."