Haas has announced an unchanged driver lineup of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen for the 2024 season.
Hulkenberg has impressed in his first year back in Formula 1 since 2019, scoring nine points and making six appearances in Q3 from the first 12 races. Magnussen returned to the team in 2022 after himself spending a year away from F1, and with an experienced lineup Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed continuity heading into next season.
“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,” Steiner said. “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 colors. 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.”
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Magnussen has only added two points to the Haas total so far this season as the team has struggled in race trim, but Steiner says he’s confident he has the right drivers to help the team improve the car and deliver top-10 results regularly once the machinery allows.
“We’ve had to tackle our issues this season with regards to the VF-23, we don’t hide from that, but we’ve been extremely fortunate to have had two drivers whose feedback is invaluable in assisting our engineering objectives.
“Kevin and Nico jelled well right from the get go and together they’ve both scored points, and in particular, Nico has excelled in qualifying — getting into Q3 on six occasions. Having not raced in Formula 1 full-time since 2019 that shows you just how professional he is and how he’s looked after himself physically.
“Of note is also just how much energy both drivers bring to the table — they’ve been fantastic not only in terms of their engagement within the team, but critically, in our partner activations and fan-facing opportunities. Kevin and Nico are clearly enjoying their time in the sport, they both have mature heads on their shoulders, and they fundamentally understand what it is we’re asking of them. In turn, now it’s down to us as a team to look ahead to 2024 and ensure we have a car that’s capable of scoring points consistently.”
The confirmation of the two Haas drivers leaves Lewis Hamilton, Zhou Guanyu and Logan Sargeant — along with the AlphaTauri pair of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo — without confirmed extensions for 2024.