F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Magnussen happy at Haas - but willing to look at top teams too

Kevin Magnussen insists that he's happy with where he is at Haas F1 for the time being.

However, when it comes to his future in Formula 1, the Dane hasn't ruled out looking around to see whether there are any openings at top teams on the grid.

"I'm happy to be here even if I don't know what will happen in the future," Magnussen told Marca newspaper.

I feel comfortable with my team and that they appreciate what I do," he continued. "I really like the environment we have here."

Magnussen is currently in the second year of a two-season contract with the American team. Haas is understood to also have first call on his services for 2019, with an option to renew for another year.

But that's not going to stop the 25-year-old from looking around at what else might be available.

A number of top seats could be in the offing at the end of the season. The contracts for Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo are all set to expire this year.

And Lewis Hamilton's contract at Mercedes is also up, although it's expected that he will re-sign with the team for another multi-year deal to keep him at Brackley.

"We are going to see if I have the opportunity to be in a leading team to fight for the championship," Magnussen admitted.

"Any driver with ambition would accept that opportunity.

"But until that happens, we have a competitive car [at Haas] and I am really happy," he insisted.

Magnussen has finished in the points in three of the five races so far this season. By comparison, his Haas team mate Romain Grosjean is yet to score a point.

He finished in sixth place in the last Grand Prix in Spain as the 'best of the res' behind drivers from Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

But Magnussen has also been building up a 'bad boy' image that might hunder his search for a drive at one of those Big Three teams.

"I focus on the team and block all of that out," he said when asked about the criticism of his on-track demeanour. "It's all a distraction and it can be frustrating if you let it get into your head."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Ferrari and Mercedes admit to plank changes based on FIA’s TD

Ferrari and Mercedes have both modified their car’s floor element in Las Vegas to comply…

1 hour ago

Las Vegas GP: Hamilton continues on top in second practice

Lewis Hamilton put Mercedes on top of the timesheets for the second time in Las…

2 hours ago

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas,…

2 hours ago

Leclerc confident Ferrari ‘has a shot’ at F1 Constructors’ title

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari has a genuine “shot” at beating rival McLaren to Formula…

3 hours ago

Komatsu: F1 teams united against Audi 2026 cost-cap offset

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has revealed that nine Formula 1 teams stand in opposition…

4 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Hamilton leads Mercedes 1-2 in trouble-free FP1

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell led the field in a chilly but trouble-free first practice…

6 hours ago