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Kevin Magnussen rules out one option he ‘absolutely’ will not take after Haas exit

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Haas have confirmed that they’re the only team on the grid that will start the 2025 season with a completely new line-up at the time of writing.

Sauber – soon to be Audi – could follow in their footsteps and the merry-go-round of drivers within the Red Bull group might see RB go into next year with two new drivers.

Haas lost Nico Hulkenberg to the aforementioned Sauber team earlier in the year and moved to sign Oliver Bearman from Ferrari’s ranks after several impressive FP1 appearances.

It was then a toss-up between whether to keep Kevin Magnussen and bring in another driver from elsewhere.

Once Esteban Ocon made himself available having decided to part ways with Alpine, that appeared to make team principal Ayao Komatsu’s mind up.

In an interview with Motorsport-Total, Magnussen has been speaking about his future after missing out on a fourth straight season with Haas.

Time is running out for Magnussen to find another seat as unless he follows Hulkenberg to Sauber or suddenly becomes an option for Alpine, he’s unlikely to be on the grid next year.

F1 Belgian Grand Prix 2024
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The sense is that Magnussen is happy to leave Formula 1 and pursue other opportunities.

The Dane has now all but confirmed that that’s the case and admitted that he has absolutely no interest in becoming a reserve driver next year to stay in the paddock.

He’s closing in on 200 Grand Prix entries although after three separate spells in F1 and just 10 race weekends left, he looks likely to come perilously close to that numbers without reaching the landmark.

READ MORE: Haas driver Kevin Magnussen’s life outside F1 from wife and daughters to net worth

Kevin Magnussen rules out reserve driver role after losing Haas seat

Asked about his future, Magnussen said: “I would like to try other things, but I’m only 31, so I’m not stressing about it.”

Asked if he would stay in F1 if it meant becoming a reserve driver, Magnussen added: “No, no. No chance!

“Why should I travel to 24 races to maybe get one more race? I have competed in almost 200 races, so I don’t need this one more. Absolutely not.”

Although Magnussen has no interest in sitting on a pit wall every weekend, there are other drivers who could take up that role.

Zhou Guanyu has admitted he would accept a reserve driver role as his Sauber future looks in doubt.

Yuki Tsunoda has been linked with Aston Martin in this regard in the past given his connections with their future power unit supplier Honda.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari relationship

Where could Kevin Magnussen end up driving after Formula 1?

If this is Magnussen’s final season in Formula 1, then it’s a strong summation of his time in the sport.

The Dane has shown signs of his potential having secured a handful of points and driven some dogged defensive races.

Hulkenberg has certainly benefitted from some of those performances, especially in Saudi Arabia where he basically earned the German a pit stop by holding up the rest of the field.

However, that’s also been part of Magnussen’s downfall with the 31-year-old quickly accumulating penalty points leaving him on the precipice of a one-race ban.

Magnussen’s possible next destination has been suggested and the Dane already has experience in other series during his previous breaks from racing in Formula 1.

He’s already raced in ISMA, IndyCar and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.