Haas F1's Entire 2020 Lineup Is In IndyCar This Weekend

Back in 2017, Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean were the two drivers at a Haas F1 team that was surprising the world. In 2018, they combined to grab fifth in the constructor's standings for a team in just its third year. By 2020, all of that optimism had faded; Haas F1 scored 3 total points, and both Magnussen and Grosjean were out of F1 by the end of the season.

Formula 1's loss is American racing's gain. While Haas F1, the only American team in the sport, flounders to a season-best finish of 13th through six races, Magnussen and Grosjean have made waves in IMSA and IndyCar, respectively, a wave of success that will now give Magnussen the chance to compete directly with Grosjean in his first-ever IndyCar race.

Magnussen, who recently secured his first win for the new Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi program, will fill in as an injury replacement for Arrow McLaren SP's Felix Rosenqvist, who has yet to be cleared to return to racing after a harrowing crash last weekend. It will be his first start for a McLaren-affiliated program since the team replaced him with Fernando Alonso after the 2014 Formula 1 season, and, although it may just be a one-race opportunity, it marks a crucial chance to show both McLaren and the other elite teams on the IndyCar grid that he is deserving of a chance to compete for wins and championships in the series. One-off drivers have struggled throughout the modern IndyCar era, but Magnussen's F1 and now sports car experience make him one of the more interesting drivers to get a shot in the series in recent years.