We’re expecting a big game of musical chairs to unfold at the end of this season of Formula One racing. But Haas won’t take part.
Interviewed by the official F1 website, owner Gene Haas said that the team “will run with the same drivers that we have this year again next year. That is a given.”
That means both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will stick with the American squad for at least one more season, rather than moving elsewhere or being replaced. Which may be a smart bet on Haas’ part, considering that both have experience with more established teams.
Grosjean first made his race debut in F1 back in 2009 with Renault, but reverted to GP2 the following season to win the title the year after (and his second GP2 Asia Series title), and return to F1 in 2012 with the same team (then under the Lotus banner). He scored ten podium finishes before switching to the Haas team when it hit the grid last year, reportedly hoping the Ferrari-supported team would serve as a springboard to the front-running Scuderia. But that evidently won’t be happening next season – even if Kimi Raikkonen is replaced.
Kevin Magnussen meanwhile impressed upon his debut with McLaren in 2014 by finishing second in the Australian Grand Prix, but has yet to score another podium since. He also drove for Renault last season, but was brought in to replace Esteban Gutierrez at Haas this year.
“Esteban was a good driver. He was as fast as Romain (Grosjean) in practice, but I think that Kevin has an edge in terms of race experience. He can score points and that was the key for bringing him on board. Kevin can grab points and Romain can too,” said Haas. “So now if we can score another 29 points by Abu Dhabi, that would be a great position.”
Halfway through the season, Haas is currently ranked seventh in the constructors’ standings, just ahead of Renault and only few points behind Toro Rosso. Grosjean and Magnussen stand in 13th and 14th places, respectively.
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