Last Saturday, the Russian said goodbye to the team, which is related to the hostilities in Ukraine. The Uralkali concern, whose president Dmitry Mazepin is closely associated with Vladimir Putin, has also lost the role of the titular sponsor. Since then, the search for Nikita Mazepin’s successor has been carried out, and among the candidates for the position alongside Mick Schumacher, the names of Antonio Giovinazzi and Nico Hulkenberg were mentioned.
Nevertheless, information appeared on Wednesday that Haas was on the verge of reaching an agreement with its former driver, Kevin Magnussen. The only obstacle before resuming cooperation was the Danish’s numerous agreements in other racing series for the 2022 season.
A great return to Formula 1
As confirmed in the official statement, Magnussen will return to the US team starting from the Bahrain Grand Prix. The rider has a multi-year contract with Haas that will secure his future in Formula 1 at least until the end of 2023.
The Dane represented the Kannapolis stable in 2017-2020 and his best result is fifth place at the Bahrain and Austrian Grand Prix 2018. Magnussen spent the last year in the IMSA series, where he represented Chip Ganassi behind the wheel of a Cadillac prototype.
Haas announced the name of Mazepin’s successor
“I was obviously very surprised and excited to be contacted by Haas again,” said Kevin Magnussen. – In the context of the 2022 season, I was looking in a completely different direction, but the prospect of returning to Formula 1 with a well-known team was too tempting. I would like to thank Peugeot and Chip Ganassi for relieving me of this year’s commitments – he added.
– Naturally, I am very grateful to Gene Haas and Gunther Steiner, who gave me the chance to reactivate my Formula 1 career. I am well aware how much they want to return to a competitive level. Our relationship was solid and we parted with a positive attitude in 2020. The team made every effort to ensure that I could get to know as much as possible about the development of the VF-22 and its potential. There is a lot of work to be done, but I’m excited about it. I look forward to getting back behind the wheel in Bahrain, emphasized Magnussen.
I’m delighted to welcome Kevin to Haas again, ‘added Team Principal Gunther Steiner. “We were looking for a driver who would bring some value, and we didn’t just mean Formula 1 experience. The decision to hire Kevin was simple for us. His readiness gives us a chance to invite him to cooperate in Bahrain with Mick and Pietro. Kevin has been key to our success so far, including the best results achieved in the 2018 season. Last year, he proved that he belongs to the elite group of drivers, adding further victories to his achievements. He is a veteran on our team and will provide a solid benchmark throughout the development of the VF-22, he concluded.
Magnussen will resume working with Haas on Friday and Saturday, sharing the test program with Mick Schumacher. On Thursday afternoon, the VF-22 will be driven by a third driver, Pietro Fittipaldi.
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Source: Sport
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