Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has paid tribute to Kevin Magnussen, describing the departing Dane as a "bedrock" of the team. Magnussen will depart Haas at the end of the 2024 season, with his F1 career likely over with his name not one being linked to the handful of '25 seats still up for grabs. The former McLaren and Renault driver has spent seven of his nine full-time seasons in F1 with Haas, starting 135 races for the team, as of the 2024 British GP. Magnussen's departure means Haas will field an all-new driver line-up next season, with Ferrari protege Oliver Bearman already announced as making his F1 debut. Alpine outcast Esteban Ocon is tipped to be joining Bearman with Nico Hulkenberg heading to Stake in preparation for Audi's 2026 arrival. Reflecting on Magnussen's impact to the team, Komatsu, who took over as team principal at the start of 2024 from Guenther Steiner, heaped praise on Magnussen. “I’d like to thank Kevin for everything he’s given us as a team – both on and off the track," Komatsu said. "He’s truly been a bedrock of our driver line-up over the years. "Nobody has driven more races for us and we’ve had some memorable highlights together – not least a remarkable fifth-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022 when Kevin returned to start his second spell with the team. "He wasn’t expecting to be driving a Formula 1 car that weekend, but he put in a remarkable performance that was a tremendous boost to the entire organisation and once again showcased his own talents behind the wheel."
Future role for Magnussen
Magnussen is a veteran of 175 grand prix starts heading into the Hungarian GP weekend, having seemingly made peace with the fact a few races ago that his F1 career was nearing its end. However, despite him leaving the team, Komatsu is keen for Magnussen to still be involved where he can. "There’s plenty of racing to go this year so I’m looking forward to seeing what else we can achieve with Kevin as we push together in the championship," Komatsu added. "Beyond that, and with Kevin’s special relationship with the team, I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity. "We can hopefully define that in the near future, but his extensive experience in Formula 1 and knowledge of our working operations are undoubtedly of value in our ongoing growth and development.”
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