We were talking regarding it this morning, the rumor has been confirmed: Haas F1 Team has hired Kevin Magnussen to drive alongside Mick Schumacher, replacing Nikita Mazepin.
Haas F1 even mentions that the framework of a multi-year contract with the Danish driver has been put in place.
Magnussen will drive the team’s VF-22 for the first time in the official pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, alongside Schumacher and test and reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi who will ride tomorrow
Magnussen, who has 119 career Formula 1 starts – with a podium on his debut in 2014, previously raced for Haas F1 Team between 2017 and 2020 having raced at McLaren and Renault F1.
Magnussen raced in 2021 in the USA. Winner of the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, the Dane added four more podiums to his debut campaign in the United States. The 2021 season also included a racing debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for High Class Racing in the LMP2 class alongside his father Jan Magnussen, and a one-off IndyCar start for Arrow McLaren SP at Road America.
“I was obviously very surprised but also very excited to receive the call from Haas F1. I was looking in another direction regarding my commitments for 2022, but the opportunity to return to racing in Formula 1, and with a team that I know extremely well, was just too appealing,” comments Magnussen.
“I really have to say thank you to Peugeot and Chip Ganassi Racing for releasing me quickly, they are two great organizations. Naturally I also want to thank Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner for giving me the chance to resume my career in Formula 1.”
“I know how competitive they are and how eager they are to get back to competition week following week. We have enjoyed a strong relationship and our partnership has remained positive even when I left at the end of 2020. “
Günther Steiner is him “delighted to welcome Kevin Magnussen back to Haas F1.”
“When we were looking for a driver who might bring value to the team, not to mention his extensive Formula 1 experience, signing Kevin was an easy decision for us.
“Kevin’s immediate availability means we can run him for testing alongside Mick Schumacher and Pietro Fittipaldi. Pietro will be the first this week with a half day on Thursday. It’s a great opportunity for him, Mick and Kevin taking care of the rest before the Bahrain Grand Prix.”
“Kevin has been a key part of our previous successes, especially when we both achieved our best results in Formula 1 in 2018. He continued to show last year that he is an elite racing driver by adding victories and podiums to his resume.”
“As a veteran with both the garage and the engineers, he will provide us with a solid reference for the continued development of the VF-22. We are all looking forward to welcoming Kevin this week in Bahrain.”
