American outfit Haas F1 Team released a statement on Thursday, confirming Dane driver Kevin Magnussen will leave the team by the end of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship 2024 season.
Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Haas F1 Team issued a statement confirming Kevin Magnussen will leave the team when his contract expires at the end of the 2024 season.
“I’d like to thank Kevin for everything he’s given us as a team - both on and off the track,” said Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu.
“He’s truly been a bedrock of our driver line-up over the years. Nobody’s driven more races for us, and we’ve had some memorable highlights together - not least, a remarkable fifth-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022 when Kevin returned to start his second spell with the team.”
Currently contesting his seventh season with the team, the 31-year-old racer first joined the squad in 2017, partnering with former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean.
Having previously driven for McLaren and Renault, he would end his first season struggling with the unreliable VF-17 car.
However, 2018 revealed a competitive VF-18, and the Danish made the most of the improvements to score a career-high ninth-place finish in the Drivers’ Championship (56 points), adding to Top 10 finishes in 11 of 21 races.
The team struggled throughout the following two seasons, and by the end of 2020, Magnussen as Grosjean left the pinnacle of motorsport.
However, in 2022, he would rejoin Haas as both parties agreed on a multi-year deal, lining up alongside FIA Formula 2 champion Mick Schumacher in Bahrain, replacing Nikita Mazepin, whose contract was terminated by the squad following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In that regard, Ayao Komatsu recalls: “He wasn’t expecting to be driving a Formula 1 car that weekend, but he put in a remarkable performance that was a tremendous boost to the entire organization and once again showcased his talents behind the wheel.”
During his second stint with the outfit, Magnussen made history on Brazilian soil by claiming his maiden pole position in Formula One, also a first for the team, at the legendary Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, one of his career highlights.
Addressing his exit by the end of the season, he commented: “I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone at MoneyGram Haas F1 Team - I’m proud to have raced for such a great team of people these last few years. In particular, I’d like to thank Gene Haas for his commitment to me, notably in bringing me back once again in 2022 when I thought, at that time at least, my time in Formula 1 had ended.”
“I’ve enjoyed some great moments with this team - memories I’ll never forget. While I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my racing career, I remain fully focused on giving everything I’ve got for the rest of 2024 with the team.”
Magnussen teammate Nico Hulkenberg, who made his full-time return to F1 in 2023 replacing Schumacher, will also say farewell to Haas by the end of the year, having committed his future in the series to Audi, rejoining Sauber in 2025.
In addition, the squad owned by Gene Haas recently announced the extension of its technical partnership with Scuderia Ferrari - engine supplier - until the end of the 2028 season.
Also, Ollie Bearman, 19, will replace Hulkenberg in 2025, becoming a full-time Formula One racer.
Meanwhile, there are only rumors about who will team up with the Brit next year, all pointing to Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who was not retained by Alpine, but no official statement has been issued at this moment.
“There’s plenty of racing to go this year, so I am looking forward to seeing what else we can achieve with Kevin as we push together in the championship,” remarked Komatsu.
“Beyond that, and with Kevin’s special relationship with the team, I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity.
“We can hopefully define that in the near future, but his extensive experience in Formula 1 and knowledge of our working operations are undoubtedly of value in our ongoing growth and development.”
The father of two entered the series at the Australian Grand Prix in 2014, and since then, he has collected 191 points across 175 starts, adding one pole position to his name.
