Haas F1 Plays It Safe, Brings Back Kevin Magnussen to Replace Nikita Mazepin

Haas has looked to the past in order to improve its future.

Kevin Magnussen, who raced in Formula 1 with Haas from 2017 through 2020, will return to the squad on a multi-year deal to partner Mick Schumacher.

Magnussen takes the place of Nikita Mazepin following the termination of the Russian’s contract following the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Magnussen joined Formula 1 in 2014, taking a podium on debut for McLaren, and also raced for Renault, but found himself the victim of political infighting at both teams and could not secure a long-term future at either.

Magnussen found a home at Haas, where he made 79 of his 119 career starts, and finished a best of ninth in the 2018 standings. But the team’s downward turn in 2019 and the onset of the pandemic took matters out of his own hands in 2020.

Haas prioritized financial backing in order to concentrate its resources on 2022, picking Mazepin, and Magnussen instead explored other categories for 2021, his Formula 1 career seemingly at an end.