Kevin Magnussen will go away the Haas Method 1 workforce on the finish of the 2024 season, the American squad introduced on Thursday.
Magnussen holds the report for many F1 races began for Haas – 135, out of a profession complete of 175 which included time racing for McLaren and Renault.
The Dane is at present in his second stint racing for Haas, having initially been let go after the 2020 season earlier than being introduced again for 2022 when the workforce dropped Nikita Mazepin and his sponsor Uralkali on the eve of that season as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Magnussen scored a powerful fifth within the first race of the 2022 marketing campaign, the place his robust showings throughout from then-team-mate Mick Schumacher contributed to the German being changed by Nico Hulkenberg for 2023.
However since then, fellow veteran Hulkenberg has shaded Magnussen – scoring almost 75% of Haas’s 39 factors and taking its greatest finishes of sixth (twice, within the final two 2024 races) in that interval.
Hulkenberg has opted to hitch the Sauber/Audi venture for 2025 and with Ollie Bearman already signed in for certainly one of Haas’s seats for subsequent yr, Magnussen’s exit had nonetheless lengthy been anticipated – his early 2024 marketing campaign difficult by a collection of penalties that can maintain him on the verge of a race ban till the yr’s finish at the very least.
There was additionally an uncomfortable section across the Miami Grand Prix, the place Magnussen’s insistence that his very aggressive defence towards Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton had been accomplished on behalf of Haas (with Hulkenberg scoring two factors forward with seventh within the dash contest) not taking place nicely internally as no such instruction was given.
Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs
“I’d like to increase my due to everybody at Haas F1 Crew – I’m proud to have raced for such an awesome workforce of individuals these previous few years,” stated Magnussen.
“Particularly I’d prefer to thank Gene Haas for his dedication to me, notably in bringing me again as soon as once more in 2022 once I thought, at the moment at the very least, my time in Method 1 had ended.
“I’ve loved some nice moments with this workforce – recollections I’ll always remember.
“Whereas I’m trying ahead to the following chapter of my racing profession, I stay totally targeted on giving every part I’ve obtained for the remainder of 2024 with Haas F1 Crew.”
Magnussen’s exit mirrors that of Esteban Ocon’s from Alpine, with the Frenchman, who is known to be near signing a deal to race with Haas from 2025, being introduced again in early June as leaving his present squad with out his alternative being named.
Though Magnussen’s information clears the trail for Haas to announce Ocon, it’s understood he’s but to formally signal to ultimate contract with the workforce.
Talking about Magnussen, who first started to race for Haas in 2017, the squad’s second F1 season, workforce principal Ayao Komatsu stated: “I’d prefer to thank Kevin for every part he’s given us as a workforce – each on and off the monitor.
“He’s actually been a bedrock of our driver line-up over time.
“No person’s pushed extra races for us and we’ve had some memorable highlights collectively – not least a outstanding fifth place end on the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022 when Kevin returned to start out his second spell with the workforce.
“He wasn’t anticipating to be driving a Method 1 automotive that weekend, however he put in a outstanding efficiency that was an incredible increase to your entire group and as soon as once more showcased his personal skills behind the wheel.
“There’s loads of racing to go this yr so I’m trying ahead to seeing what else we will obtain with Kevin as we push collectively within the championship.”
Komastu additionally teased that “past that” and given “Kevin’s particular relationship with the workforce”, Magnussen could but be supplied a non-racing function to remain aligned with Haas for the longer term.
“I’m hoping we will discover a approach to maintain working collectively in some capability,” Komatsu added.
“We will hopefully outline that within the close to future, however his intensive expertise in Method 1 and data of our working operations are undoubtedly of worth in our ongoing development and improvement.”
