The Dane returns to the grid with the American team a year after leaving.
Kevin Magnussen will take Nikita Mazepin’s seat at Haas from the 2022 Formula 1 season. The 29-year-old Dane, who competed in F1 between 2014 and 2020, will return to the grid after a year competing in other categories.
As a consequence, Magnussen has been released from the contract that linked him to Peugeot, a brand with which he was going to compete in the Endurance World Championship starting this year, and has also ended his relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing, with whom he ran In America.
Magnussen will be the partner of Mick Schumacher in the American formation, which announced the dismissal of Mazepin last Saturday for his link with the Russian government.
“Obviously I am very surprised and also very excited to have received the call from the Haas F1 Team,” said Magnussen. “I had made another decision for the 2022 season, but the opportunity to compete in F1 with a team that I know very well appealed to me a lot,” he adds.
The Haas team had assured in recent days that it was looking for an experienced driver to replace Mazepin, a key circumstance to meet the objective of taking a step forward in sporting terms in 2022.
Haas has announced that Magnussen will get into the VF-22 for the first time this week at F1 testing in Bahrain, taking turns at the wheel of the car with Mick Schumacher and test driver Pietro Fittipaldi. Next week the 2022 F1 season will start at this same circuit.
Between 2014 and 2020, Magnussen participated in a total of 120 grands prix with teams such as McLaren, Renault and Haas. His best result is second place at the 2014 Australian GP.
Gunther Steiner, team principal, said: “Kevin was a key component in our previous successes, especially when we both achieved our best results in Formula 1 in 2018.
“Last year he continued to prove that he is an elite racing driver, adding wins and podium finishes to his resume. As a veteran presence in both the garage and engineering room, he will provide us with a strong reference point with the ongoing development of the VF-22. We are looking forward to welcoming Kevin this week in Bahrain.”
