Kevin Magnussen said a Formula One return felt impossible until Haas boss Guenther Steiner asked him to come back as Nikita Mazepin's replacement.
Magnussen, who left Haas and F1 at the end of 2020, was confirmed back at Haas on Wednesday, ahead of this week's preseason test in Bahrain.
It was a shock return, none more so for Magnussen himself, who was mentally at peace with the idea of never going back.
"I was in a happy place when Guenther called me, a good place," Magnussen said.
"2021 was really enjoyable for me, I had a daughter, moved back to Denmark, did a season in IMSA which I enjoyed a lot too, had fun, did an IndyCar race, did Le Mans with my Dad, so I wasn't really thinking about F1 a lot.