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Haas team owner Gene Haas has confirmed that Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will be racing for the team in 2018. Speaking to the official Formula 1 website, Haas delivered the news that there would be no change in its line-up for next year.
"We will run with the same drivers that we have this year again next year," he said. "That is a given. And given the other continuity aspects, we should be better racers next season."
"Kevin can grab points and Romain can too. We now have 29 points. Last year around this time we also had 29 points, but did not score for the rest of the season. So now if we can score another 29 points by Abu Dhabi, that would be a great position."
In its debut season in 2016, Haas ran with Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez. The latter driver was dropped after a disappointing season and the American outfit brought in Kevin Magnussen, who had previously raced for McLaren and Renault.
Antonio Giovinazzi and Charles Leclerc have been nominated as contenders for a seat next year, but that speculation seems to have dropped with Haas' declaration. Now that the team is in its second season, Haas believes the 'honeymoon period' is now over.
"I would say the honeymoon is over. Now comes the tricky part of living together! F1 is a challenge, it is not easy - coming to a race every second weekend and seeing opportunities slipping away and you know that you have to work harder to achieve what you want."
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
3 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (9)
Login to replyf1fan0101
Posts: 1,804
Not sure how I feel... Looks like Giovinazzi and Leclerc may not get a seat now, but I'm happy Grosjean and Magnussen will still be around
boudy
Posts: 1,168
I feel it's way to early for the likes of Haas to commit to drivers. GRO seems to have changed his tune recently (he was so negative the previous races) KMAG seems a more than capable driver. However are they(Haas) going down the "lets not try to be adventurous route"? The driver pairing seems logical but are not capable of lifting the team.
I wondered of being so closely connected with Ferrari it seems more logical to have a driver from their academy. Would I prefer GIO to GRO/KMAG ... yes.
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
It think it's a wise move. Because who could they realistically get that's better? I know you mention Giovanni, but that is a crapshoot at best, considering how he did for Sauber.
If you look at Magnussen at least, it is very apparent that his performance drops off when there is uncertainty about his future. It happened at both McLaren and Renault. So all in all, I think it's wise to consolidate and focus on stability, as they do have to very capable drivers drivers (even if Grosjean has turned into a whiny lil' bitch lately;-) )
And even if we do suppose that Ferrari would like to work something out, this is a message that it's gonna cost them.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
So no Grosjean move to Ferrari then?
boudy
Posts: 1,168
Correct, no way ferrari would ever get such an negative driver. But you already knew that ;)
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yes, I was pretty sure that Ferrari didnt want him. If they did, they would've picked him a long time ago. I just dont see the move happen.
F1racefan97
Posts: 113
Hmm I would have liked leclerc to take a Haas seat, it's his best shot at a seat for next year and grosjean and magnussen aren't exactly setting the world alight
RenaultFM1
Posts: 100
You need a really good car for be able show off. They both have some good races for sure.. Have you ever seen the onboard action videos on FM1 homepage...take a look and since start this season Kevin always been in those videos showing great performance and moves that every real fan of race loves see more off.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
The fact that they've managed to perform well enough in a car with very unreliable brakes is quite impressive. I wouldnt rank either among the best in F1, but both are good drivers.