Kevin Magnussen believes Ferrari was close to signing him instead of Charles Leclerc in 2018. Kevin Magnussen’s strong performances early in 2018 sparked interest from Ferrari.

Charles Leclerc is now firmly established as one of Ferrari’s most significant drivers, sitting fourth on the list of all-time race starts for the iconic team in Formula 1. With 126 race appearances under his belt, he recently surpassed Sebastian Vettel and is now aiming to pass Felipe Massa’s tally of 139 race starts, which he is expected to achieve around the middle of the 2025 season. At the top of the list is Michael Schumacher, who won five championships with Ferrari and made 180 race starts for the team, while Kimi Raikkonen sits in second place with 151 starts. Despite the arrival of Lewis Hamilton in 2025, Charles Leclerc remains Ferrari’s golden boy, having been with their driver academy since 2016 and earning his first F1 contract with Sauber in 2018 after his success in GP3 and Formula 2.

Charles Leclerc’s rise in Formula 1 was swift and impressive, spending only one season at Sauber before moving up to Ferrari. In his first year with the Scuderia, he claimed a historic win at Monza, and since then, he has added eight victories, 26 pole positions, and 42 podiums to his résumé. His arrival at Ferrari marked the end of a challenging period for the team, with Leclerc outscoring four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel by a significant margin of 24 points in their first season together. This strong performance led to the announcement that Vettel would depart the team at the end of the 2020 season, making way for Carlos Sainz, who joined in 2021 and has since moved on to Williams.

Charles Leclerc’s raw talent has earned him recognition from fellow drivers, with Esteban Ocon recently claiming that Charles Leclerc, alongside Max Verstappen, is one of the most naturally gifted drivers in F1. At 27 years old, the Monegasque is still searching for his first World Championship title, with his continued consistency and impressive performances placing him among the sport’s elite.

Before Leclerc’s rise to prominence, Ferrari had already been closely monitoring his progress during his early years in Formula 1. Sauber was not the only team running Ferrari engines in 2018; Haas, an American outfit founded in 2016, was also using the Italian manufacturer’s power units. Haas’s star driver that season was Kevin Magnussen, who played a crucial role in securing the team’s fifth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship, contributing 56 of their 93 points. Kevin Magnussen’s strong performances early in the season, including four top-six finishes in the first nine races, sparked interest from Ferrari.

At the same time, Charles Leclerc’s start to his F1 career was more measured. He finished 13th, 12th, and 19th in his first three races, which led Ferrari to consider him as a potential backup option. The Monegasque driver even tested on their simulator, but the team’s initial interest waned as Charles Leclerc’s performances improved over the course of the season. Ultimately, Ferrari’s decision to promote him to their team was vindicated, as Charles Leclerc has gone on to become one of the team’s most promising talents and is now a key figure in their pursuit of a championship.

“In 2018, we had a really good car in the first half of the year,” – the Danish driver said – “Charles had just arrived in F1 with Sauber. And the start of his first season wasn’t great. And mine was really good! And then suddenly Ferrari was reaching out.” – he added.

“Suddenly I was driving in their simulator, not for Haas, but for Ferrari. They were sniffing around. And I thought, okay… I was already getting excited about where this was going. But then Charles started to really kill it! And I heard nothing. I don’t know how close it got. But I think if Charles had not started to perform, if he had had a s****y season all year long, I think I would have been one of the drivers they would have looked at. Sometimes you feel like you are getting close, but still not that close. That’s the way it goes.” – he admitted.

Anthony Davidson has expressed a strong desire to see Kevin Magnussen go head-to-head with Max Verstappen in a future Formula 1 season, acknowledging the intense rivalry that could emerge between the two. However, six years after Magnussen’s impressive debut, he now finds himself without a seat on the grid. With Haas opting not to renew his contract, instead bringing in Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman for the upcoming seasons, it appears that Magnussen’s F1 career may be coming to an end.

Magnussen’s early years in Formula 1 were marked by notable achievements that left fans and pundits alike impressed. His debut race in 2014, where he finished on the podium in Australia, was a remarkable feat for a rookie driver, and he followed it up with a stunning pole position at the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Yet, despite these moments of brilliance, he never managed to secure a race win, a fact that has hung over his career.

With his future in Formula 1 uncertain, Magnussen is eyeing a new chapter in motorsport, particularly with the rise of Cadillac as a potential F1 team starting in 2026. If the American team decides to bring in a seasoned driver to lead their charge, Magnussen could very well find himself on their radar, bringing his extensive experience and competitive spirit to a new environment.

Anthony Davidson, a former F1 driver and current commentator, has long been an admirer of Magnussen’s driving style, which he describes as aggressive and unyielding. Davidson has often pointed out that Magnussen is a “tough nut,” someone who isn’t afraid to get involved in wheel-to-wheel battles with some of the best in the business. According to Davidson, the prospect of Magnussen facing off against Verstappen, known for his relentless racing and no-nonsense approach, would create a thrilling and fiery dynamic on track. Their intense driving styles could lead to some incredibly exciting and unpredictable racing, making for a spectacle that fans would eagerly anticipate.

Anthony Davidson’s enthusiasm for this potential matchup reflects a broader sentiment in the F1 community: that the sport is always better when its most aggressive drivers are pitted against one another. In a world where rivalries often define a season, the idea of Kevin Magnussen and Max Verstappen locking horns would undoubtedly provide plenty of drama and excitement for F1 fans around the world.