MOGYOROD, Hungary — Haas F1 Team has announced that Kevin Magnussen will leave the team at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
The 31-year-old Magnussen is Haas F1’s longest-serving driver in history and will join the team for a second time in 2022. His contract is due to expire at the end of the year.
His seat is widely expected to be taken over by outgoing Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, but Haas are yet to announce who will partner Oliver Bearman in 2025.
Speaking at the announcement ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Magnussen paid tribute to Haas, saying he was “proud to have raced for such a great team and people” during his seven seasons with the American team.
“I’ve had some fantastic moments with the team and some unforgettable memories,” Magnussen said. “I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my racing career but I’m fully focused on giving my all with Haas F1 Team for the remainder of 2024.”
Magnussen’s Viking spirit inspires Haas
Now in their ninth season, Haas is a young team by F1 standards and Magnussen has played a bigger role in Haas’ history than any other driver.
He first joined the team in 2017 after leaving Renault, and has found stability for the first time after a turbulent start to his F1 career, which saw him finish second on his debut with McLaren in 2014 but then disappear from the grid after just one season.
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At Haas, Magnussen found his home: the Dane told The Athletic in February that he felt he “properly developed as a driver” there, establishing himself as a regular points-scorer throughout 2017 and 2018 as the team worked its way up the F1 grid.
As Haas’ fortunes began to decline on the track, Magnussen struggled to compete, leading to his departure at the end of 2020 when Haas opted to bring in two rookie drivers, Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher, to ensure financial stability from sponsors.
For Magnussen, leaving Haas meant the end of his F1 career, giving him the chance to return to Denmark and start a family, as well as the chance to race a full season in the IMSA sportscar series and in the US for a one-off IndyCar appearance with McLaren.
But when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine meant Mazepin’s contract was terminated on the eve of the 2022 season, team owner Gene Haas and then-team principal Guenther Steiner immediately called Magnussen to ask if he’d be interested in returning, to which Magnussen quickly replied “yes” – before even consulting his wife.
Magnussen’s fifth-place finish on his return in Bahrain was Haas’ second-best result in F1 history, with Steiner hailing him as a “f***ing Viking comeback”. He led the team’s effort through 2022, but Haas has again slipped to the back of the field over the past two seasons.
Magnussen has scored just five points so far this year, less than a quarter of the total of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg (who is due to join Sauber in 2025), with his best result being eighth in Austria earlier this month.
What’s next for Magnussen?
For weeks, Magnussen has spoken as if he’s a driver who isn’t at all worried about the possibility of not being on the F1 grid next year.
Magnussen said he was an “active participant” in what is likely to be a fluid market, particularly at the back, heading into 2025, but also highlighted the high costs associated with committing to a full-season F1 campaign every year.
“When I think about my future, I don’t think not racing in F1 would be a bad thing,” Magnussen said at the Austrian Grand Prix. “I feel a bit the opposite. It’s a big price to pay to do it and sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it.”
“There are 24 races. For a man with a family, it’s expensive. There are so many other commitments to make, not just the 24 races, so the year is 100% filled and it’s not easy to do other things.”
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Even if Magnussen doesn’t secure an F1 seat for 2025, he probably won’t be short of opportunities on the outside. Before returning to F1 with Haas in 2022, he signed with Peugeot’s Le Mans Hypercar program and raced for Chip Ganassi in IMSA during his year-long absence. In 2021, he also raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with his father Jann, fulfilling a lifelong dream for both of them.
“There’s a lot to talk about winning races, but I haven’t done that for a long time,” Magnussen said last month. “I miss it.”
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(Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
