Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean will be leaving the Haas F1 Team at the end of the 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Grosjean has been with the team since 2016 with Magnussen signing one year later – the four-year partnership currently only matched in tenure by the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Since partnering together in 2017 Grosjean and Magnussen have delivered several notable performances including the team’s first double-points score (2017 Monaco Grand Prix), highest team race finish (fourth & fifth place 2018 Austrian Grand Prix) and in 2018 they helped the team achieve its best finish to-date in the Constructors’ Championship – fifth overall.
“I want to extend my thanks to both Romain (Grosjean) and Kevin (Magnussen) for their hard work and commitment to Haas F1 Team over the past few seasons,” commented Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of Haas F1 Team.
He continued; “Romain was a fundamental part of our establishment as we sought to get a driver onboard with both speed and experience. His results in early 2016 were a just reward, not only for his own talent, but also for the sheer amount of effort the team had put in to be on the grid that season. When Kevin joined a season later, we saw an immediate return with both cars scoring points, and of course, our first double points finish in Monaco that year. We have a lot of good memories together – in particular our 2018 season when we finished fifth in the standings in only our third season. Romain and Kevin played a significant part in that success. Of course, there is still plenty of racing left in the 2020 season. It’s been a challenging year, no doubt about that, but both drivers have given their all behind the wheel of the VF-20. We value their inputs and experience to keep pushing the team forward through to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.”
Romain Grosjean said:
I’ve been with Haas F1 Team since day 1. Five years during which we went through highs and lows, scored 110 points in 92 races, but the journey was worth it. I’ve learned a lot, improved to be a better driver as well as a better man. I hope I’ve also helped people in the team to improve themself. This is probably my biggest pride, more than any of the crazy first races in 2016 or the P4 at the Austrian GP 2018.
I wish the team all the best for the future.
Magnussen said:
“The 2020 Formula 1 season will be my last with Haas F1 Team,” Magnussen said.
“I have had a great time with the team for four years and I look back at a great journey.
“Being part of a brand new team has been a challenge that I have thoroughly enjoyed and it has brought me a huge amount of experience that has helped me grow and develop as a racing driver.
“I would like to thank Gene, Guenther and all of the race team for their loyalty and trust in me over the past four years.”
This will be interesting to watch, I hope if they can bring in a lot of money or interest with new drivers it will help the team to stay in F1. These drivers both have shortcomings (lack of ultimate pace from Magnussen, Grosjean unable to consistently deliver at his highest level which is actually very fast) but their approaches are so different that if the Haas engineers were getting the potential out of this car and its tires one or the other of these drivers would have been delivering results. Everyone loves Gunther Steiner because he says F*@& so much… Read more »
It will be interesting to see who they hire. I have to think one seat will be for a driver with significant backing and Perez comes to mind. Interesting times.
Yes I hope Perez goes to Haas (with that sweet sweet Carlos Slim backing) so he doesn’t end up screwing over George Russell. Can you imagine out-qualifying your teammate at every turn for two seasons and still being on the hot seat at Williams (when that Merc drive is oh so close you can taste it?!)
Super agree. I think George has done a good job learning and developing from the back in a way only some drivers can. But he’s probably done all that he can and needs a path forward. I wasn’t inspired by him at first but he’s really won me over. Like who among us didn’t say, when we saw him in the gravel at Eifel ‘that car broke or some clown whacked it’? The guy is just solid.