Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will continue driving for Haas in 2024, the Formula One team have confirmed.
Haas made the announcement on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix and sport’s return from the summer break.
Both drivers were out of contract at the end of the year but it was expected that they would retain their seat, despite some mixed form so far this season, with a lack of outstanding alternatives available.
Team principal Guenther Steiner had previously told Metro Sport that he was happy with his line-up and has always expressed his preference for experienced racers.
‘I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had an extremely solid driver pairing this season in Formula 1 and ultimately there was no reason to look to change that moving forward,’ told the American team’s website.
‘Kevin is obviously a very well-known quantity to us, and I’m delighted he’ll return for what will be his seventh season in Haas colours. With 113 starts for our team alone, we know where his strengths lie and his knowledge and experience of our organization pairs very well with that too.
‘On the other side of the garage, Nico’s simply slotted in without fuss or fanfare and proved himself to be a valuable member of the team. He’s approaching 200 starts in Formula 1 and we’re very happy to be the beneficiary of that experience behind the wheel.’
Magnussen first raced for Haas from 2017 to 2021 before making a shock return last year to replace axed Russian racer Nikita Mazepin.
He has underwhelmed so far this year however, with just two points from the opening 12 races leaving him 18th in the standings, though this can partly be attributed to the poor pace of his car.
‘My return in 2022 had been unexpected but was filled with numerous highlights, and although this season hasn’t gone quite as we’d hoped, we’ve still managed to get into the points and shown potential in the package we have,’ the Dane said.
‘There’s plenty of racing remaining in 2023 and we’ve got a lot of work to do to continue to understand the VF-23 – that learning can be applied into the 2024 car. My thanks, as always, go to Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner for giving me the opportunity to keep racing in the sport I love.’
As for Hulkenberg, he joined Haas this year to replace Mick Schumacher, returning to full-time F1 for the first time since 2019.
Though points finishes have largely evaded him also, the German is 14th in the table and has caught the eye with his qualifying performances, reaching the top-10 shootout on six occassions.
‘It’s nice to get things sorted early for next season to just keep the focus on racing and improving performance,’ the 36-year-old remarked.
‘I enjoy being part of the team and share Gene and Guenther’s passion for it. We’re competing in a very tight midfield and I’m looking forward to building on what we’ve done together so far and taking that forward into 2024.’
Haas are currently eighth in the constructors’ standings with 11 points – level with rivals Williams.
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