31-year-old F1 driver is ‘feeling the heat’ after entering final year of contract

Follow us on Google Discover

It’s all going on at Haas at the moment, with Kevin Magnussen potentially under pressure heading into the final year of his contract.

More than half of the grid will be hoping to secure their Formula 1 futures this year, including Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.

Writing for The Race, journalist Josh Suttill believes that the 31-year-old could be driving to save his Formula 1 career this year.

The driver market in Formula 1 this year is expected to kick into overdrive after every team retained their driver line-up from last season.

Williams star Alex Albon is likely to be a key player in deciding where others head, while Esteban Ocon is being considered as an option by Audi ahead of their entry into F1.

There are also several young drivers outside of the sport who will be hoping for an opportunity in 2025.

Guenther Steiner had previously mentioned he could be tempted into hiring a rookie at Haas but his departure from the team yesterday means those plans could now be set to change.

New team principal Ayao Komatsu will have ideas of his own on how to take the team forward.

That may put even more pressure on Kevin Magnussen with his Haas future hanging in the balance.

After being outperformed by Hulkenberg last season, he needs to know more of the pace that once had him lauded as a ‘future megastar’.

Haas driver Magnussen under pressure

Writing just before Guenther Steiner left Haas, journalist Josh Suttill said: “That’s going to put plenty of pressure on a number of drivers in the final year of their contract – not least Steiner’s two drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.

“Magnussen in particular will be feeling the heat having had a highly-challenging 2023 in which Hulkenberg usurped him as Haas’s spearhead driver.

“Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman impressed the team during his two FP1 outings last year and Steiner’s young driver prediction could be interpreted as a target for Bearman in his second F2 season and a hurry-up for Magnussen.”

Magnussen will hope he can embrace the pressure and retain a seat in Formula 1 either at Haas or elsewhere.

But that depends on whether the car can improve on its terrible performance last year.

Magnussen hated their launch car and only scored three points all season, finishing 10^th in Saudi Arabia, Miami and Singapore.

The street circuits seemed to be marginally easier for Haas to manage but with all of their rivals set to develop this winter, they need to find some time themselves ahead of the opening race in Bahrain.