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In a statement that provided no surprises and confirmed what we already expected, Haas announced that it will field an unchanged lineup in 2024. Although no contracts had been signed, the status of both drivers within the team has pretty much been known for the past few weeks.
Haas 2024 driver lineup: No surprises
Kevin Magnussen will compete in his seventh season with the American team, a partnership that started back in 2017, with a hiatus in 2021. The Danish driver is very much a known quantity for the team and, although this season has not yielded many positive results and just two points, he remains one of the fiercest competitors in the championship.
Nico Hulkenberg, on the other hand, only just joined Haas this season. The 36-year-old’s return to Formula 1 was met with criticism against Haas, as he replaced Mick Schumacher. He was also coming off the back of three years without a full-time seat. He has proven the critics wrong though, as great performances, especially in qualifying, have put him on top of his teammate so far.
The confirmation of the 2024 lineup comes at a promising time for Haas, as expectations are rising ahead of 2024. With Sauber having signed a deal with Audi for 2026 onwards and Alfa Romeo leaving the team, Ferrari’s resources can be reallocated, in favour of the American team.
The Kevin and Nico bromance continues for another year 😊#HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/6StyWWip9Z
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) August 24, 2023
The history of Haas drivers
When Haas first entered Formula 1 back in 2016, it turned to Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez for its first driver lineup. The team burst onto the scene, with the Frenchman scoring a sixth-place finish in its debut at Melbourne and following it up with a fifth-place finish at Bahrain. In the end 29 points were scored, all from Grosjean, on the way to eighth in the standings.
With Gutierrez failing to score, a change was needed. That proved to be Kevin Magnussen, the Danish driver who had left Renault at the end of 2016. Immediately, both drivers were able to score on a more consistent basis, something reflected in the 47 points they scored in 2017.
The following season was the team’s big break, as it shot up to fifth in the championship on 93 points. Grosjean and Magnussen finished fourth and fifth in the Austrian GP, Haas’ best outing in its time in Formula 1. The latter finished ninth in the drivers’ standings, another impressive stat.
The next few years have not gone well though. The 2019 was marred by the Rich Energy debacle and the team scored just 28 points, before scoring only three in the following season. That one was best remembered for Grosjean’s frightening accident at Bahrain, in what proved to be his last Formula 1 race. For the next two Grands Prix, he was replaced by Pietro Fittipaldi.
2021 was all change for Haas, as Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher formed an all-rookie lineup. It was a dismal campaign though, with no points scored by either driver, on a car that was clearly lacking performance.
The outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in early 2022 resulted in Mazepin losing his seat, as the team lost its Ural Kali sponsorship as well. Kevin Magnussen was brought on at the last hour and impressively finished fifth in a car he had not tested before. Schumacher scored later in the season too, but a few expensive crashes led to him being replaced by his compatriot, Nico Hulkenberg.
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