Kevin Magnussen to continue with Haas in 2025
The Dane will continue his adventure with the American team this season despite the loss of his Formula 1 seat. Haas boss Ayao Komatsu revealed that Magnussen will be used for tests with older single-seaters, as well as in the Toyota simulator.
Kevin Magnussen stays with Haas… but not as a main driver. Evicted from the 2025 grid, the former McLaren driver will continue with the American team. These are the remarks reported by team principal Ayao Komatsu, who wishes to keep the Dane in the structure after having to part ways with him at the end of last season to make way for Oliver Bearman. A busy year is thus in store for Kevin Magnussen, who was recruited last December by BMW for endurance in their LMDh program. A rich program as he will compete in the IMSA, WEC, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the German brand.
A role of examiner at Haas
At Haas, the former Renault driver will mainly be responsible for the TPC, those tests that allow drivers to test cars from two years ago. It’s a way for the American team to have an experienced driver who can provide his expertise to the two new drivers, Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon. He will also be responsible for completing laps in the Toyota simulator, the Japanese brand having agreed to let Haas use its simulator due to the technical partnership signed between them last year. These roles have been confirmed by Ayao Komatsu.
« He will drive TPC (vintage cars) and use simulators », said the Japanese. In addition to that, Haas is offering the Danish driver the role of reserve driver during certain Grand Prix. When he is absent, several names are being considered to replace him.
Contenders for the reserve driver role at Haas
Among the most frequently mentioned names are those of the two Japanese drivers: Ryo Hirakawa and Ritomo Miyata. Both men could benefit from their close ties with Toyota in endurance racing to join the American team. Furthermore, Ryo Hirakawa has already had the opportunity to drive the single-seater during the end-of-season tests in Abu Dhabi. Despite his recent appointment as a reserve driver at Alpine, it’s not impossible to see him at Haas during the season. The Japanese driver has also caught the attention of his counterpart Ayao Komatsu.
(a) In Abu Dhabi, he impressed us a lot on all fronts: speed, feedback, consistency, execution – he didn’t make any big mistakes. He was immediately in the rhythm, his feedback was incredible… I think the guys at Toyota expected this because they knew what they had seen with McLaren. »
On Ritomo Miyata’s side, the situation is somewhat different. Indeed, the former Carlin driver will join the ART team in Formula 2 alongside Victor Martins. Therefore, it is unlikely that we will see him often in the American team’s garage, as F2 has 14 race weekends on the schedule.
Nevertheless, he was at the wheel of one of the single-seaters in Jerez last week. The Japanese driver also has the Super License after winning the Super Formula and Super GT500 championships in 2023. If his 2025 Formula 2 season goes better than in 2024 (19th in the championship with only 31 points), he might have a chance to join a Formula 1 team.
In the meantime, the team must already prepare for its 2025 season and still relies heavily on Kevin Magnussen to advise these two young drivers and enable Haas to continue its rise glimpsed in 2024.
