Kevin Magnussen has yet to secure his future with Haas, but if the Danish driver remains with the US outfit in 2025, he could potentially find himself racing alongside a fresh young face.
Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman is a strong contender for a full-time drive with Haas next season.
The young Brit impressed with a stellar performance in his surprise F1 race debut with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, and the 19-year-old charger will be back in action, with Haas, in FP1 at next week’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
But should Bearman land a drive with Ferrari’s customer team next season, it appears unlikely he'll have much guidance from Magnussen, if the Dane is sitting on the other side of Haas’ garage.
“I’m not really here to take care of young kids, you know? I do that at home,” Magnussen bluntly responded when asked if he’d be willing to help mentor the Ferrari junior.
“So, hopefully, the guy we have in the car will be competent, professional, and consistent like Nico has been, and we’ll see if I’ll be in the other car.”
Ferrari junior and Haas reserve Oliver Bearman.
Questions indeed remain open regarding Magnussen’s future in F1. So far this season, the 31-year-old has scored just a single point, while Hulkenberg has delivered three top-ten finishes on Sunday and a P7 in Miami’s sprint event.
Furthermore, his penalty-laden weekend in Florida did little to bolster his case. But Hulkenberg’s move to Audi/Sauber in 2025 might help his chances of retaining his drive with Haas.
However, “concrete talks” have not yet taken place between the Dane and his team.
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“I think it’s still a very open market, lots of seats available, lots of drivers available,” commented Magnussen. “We’ll see how it goes.
“[There have] not been concrete talks but, obviously, when you’re part of the team, you’re talking all the time. So, I think more focus is on the season than anything else.”
Despite the uncertainty, Magnussen expressed his hope to continue his journey with Haas.
Having already invested years with the team across two separate stints, he's eager to be part of the positive strides the team is making and potentially enjoy in the future the rewards of their progress.
“I still feel like there’s some unfinished business here that I feel like there’s always been, I’ve been here for many years now,” he said.
“There’s always been some potential that we haven’t seemed to really exploit. I feel like now maybe we’re building a better foundation to go and exploit that potential that I feel we have.
“I think we have some very talented people in Haas, we’ve had that since day one, and people didn’t give us a lot of credit in the beginning.
“I’m like everyone else, focused on this year and, at the same time, open to any opportunity.”
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