Hungaroring (Hongrie) (AFP) – Kevin Magnussen said he was “disappointed” to lose his seat at Haas but insisted that he was aiming to stay in Formula One next year with a rival team.
The 31-year-old Dane, whose departure at the end of the season was confirmed by the American team on Thursday, said he was focussed on his future when speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. He admitted, however, that everything was on hold as teams wait to see the next move of Carlos Sainz, who will be replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton.
“I think there’s other interesting projects out there and there’s still seats available in Formula One,” he said. “That could be interesting. Of course, Carlos is still holding up all that process, but eventually it’s going to move. So, right now, the best thing I can do is to focus on doing good races and then being in contention for these seats when they are available.”
Magnussen has been with Haas for two spells adding up to a seven-year association. “Would I have liked to continue here? I think, you know, had I continued, it would have been cool to see the fruits of the momentum that’s been built up recently.”
Haas have hired British teenager Ollie Bearman, a Ferrari junior driver, to replace the departing Nico Hulkenberg next year with Esteban Ocon poised to take Magnussen’s seat after departing Alpine at the end of the season. Alpine, Sauber and Williams all currently have vacancies for next year.
“That whole bunch, you could say they might be a top five team next year,” added Magnussen. “Everyone is so tightly together so it feels like there were interesting opportunities. Haas is in a good position right now, so you could say it’s a pity because they’re doing so well but everything could change next year. One of the other seats could be more competitive. You never know.”
Magnussen’s best result with Haas was fifth, which he has achieved three times. He finished second on his debut in F1 with McLaren at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. It remains the best result of his career.
“Kevin has truly been a bedrock of our driver line-up over the years,” said Haas boss Ayao Komatsu. “Nobody’s driven more races for us and we’ve had some memorable highlights together, not least a fifth-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022 when Kevin returned to start his second spell with the team.” He declined to comment on speculation that Haas are seeking a partnership with Toyota next season.
© 2024 AFP
