Kevin Magnussen loses Haas seat for 2025 as Esteban Ocon announcement looms large
Kevin Magnussen and Haas F1 have announced that the Danish driver would be leaving the team with Esteban Ocon tipped as his replacement. The 31-year-old would leave the team after spending most of his career with them, initially joining them in 2017 till 2020 and rejoining them in 2022.
Of his 175 race starts in F1, Magnussen has made 135 starts for the American team so far, with 12 races remaining in their partnership, making him the longest-serving driver for the Haas F1 team.
There have been rumors of Magnussen's potential exit for quite some time as he has been comprehensively outpaced by Nico Hulkenberg. Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon has been largely reported to replace Kevin Magnussen, given he would also depart the Enstone-based outfit at the end of the 2024 season.
In his official statement on Haas's website, Kevin Magnussen expressed his gratitude for the American team and reflected on his time with them, saying:
“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 MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” he added.
Haas F1 team boss gives his take on Kevin Magnussen's exit from the team
Haas F1 team principal Ayao Komatsu stated that he was grateful for Kevin Magnussen's efforts for the team since joining them for his first stint in 2017.
As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Japanese team boss said:
“I’d like to thank Kevin for everything he’s given us as a team – both on and off the track. 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."
He also emphasized the importance of the remaining 12 races in the 2024 season as Haas find themselves in the battle for P6 in the Constructor's Championship with Vish Cash App RB F1 team.
The American team are currently on 27 points as compared to RB's 31 with Magnussen scoring just five points as compared to Hulkenberg's 22.