KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Haas F1 Team will head into next season with an all new driver lineup in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen confirmed Thursday they will not return to the team following the end of the year, opening the only American team in F-1 up for a fresh start.
Grosjean was signed by Haas for its debut season in 2016, pairing Esteban Gutierrez that year before Magnussen came on board the next year.
Grosjean finished inside the top six in the team’s first two F-1 races, ending his first year with 29 points, but has only had marginal success since that time. His best run this year was in the recent Eifel Grand Prix, where he finished ninth and picked up two points.
“The last chapter is closed and the book is finished,” Grosjean wrote on Facebook, accompanied by a picture of him racing in Austria in 2018. “I’ve been with Haas F1 Team since day one. Five years during which we went through highs and lows, scored 110 points in 92 races, but the journey was worth it. I’ve learned a lot, improved to be a better driver as well as a better man.
“I hope I’ve also helped people in the team to improve themselves. This is probably my biggest pride, more than any of the crazy first races in 2016 or the P4 at the Austrian GP 2018. I wish the team all the best for the future.”
Grosjean raced in the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2010 prior to his move toward F-1 and has noted in the past that he consider a return to sports cars by way of the Peugeot Hypercar program.
He has 10 career F-1 podium finishes, finishing a career-best second in the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix and duplicating that feat in the 2013 United States Grand Prix. Both of those efforts came with Lotus.
Magnussen came over from Renault to Haas F1 for the 2017 season. He has been the team’s highest-scoring driver in each of the last two season.
His best team finish of fifth came twice in 2018, first at the Bahrain Grand Prix and again at the Austrian Grand Prix.
“The 2020 Formula 1 season will be my last with Haas F1 Team,” Magnussen said. “I have had a great time with the team for four years and look back at a great journey. Being part of a brand new team has been a challenge that I have thoroughly enjoyed, and it has brought me a huge amount of experience that has helped me grow and develop as a racing driver.
“I would like to thank Gene, Guenther and all of the race team for their loyalty and trust in me over the past four years. I am still working on my plans for the future, which I will announce in due course,” he added. “There are still six races to do this season, and I am determined to give my all to finish off on a high. Thank you all for your support.”
The duo combined to give Haas F1 its best finish in the Formula 1 constructor’s championship in 2018, when the team ranked fifth in constructor’s points.
Team principal Guenther Steiner issued a statement Thursday extending his appreciation to both Grosjean and Magnussen for their contributions to the Haas F1 operation.
“I want to extend my thanks to both Romain (Grosjean) and Kevin (Magnussen) for their hard work and commitment to Haas F1 Team over the past few seasons,” said Steiner. “Romain was a fundamental part of our establishment as we sought to get a driver onboard with both speed and experience. His results in early 2016 were a just reward, not only for his own talent, but also for the sheer amount of effort the team had put in to be on the grid that season. When Kevin joined a season later, we saw an immediate return with both cars scoring points, and of course, our first double points finish in Monaco that year.
“We have a lot of good memories together – in particular our 2018 season when we finished fifth in the standings in only our third season. Romain and Kevin played a significant part in that success. Of course, there is still plenty of racing left in the 2020 season. It’s been a challenging year, no doubt about that, but both drivers have given their all behind the wheel of the VF-20.
“We value their inputs and experience to keep pushing the team forward through to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.”