Formula 1: Kevin Magnussen to return to Haas in 2019

Kevin Magnussen is set to return to Haas in the 2019 Formula 1 season, which is set to be his third overall season and third consecutive season driving for the team.

Kevin Magnussen began driving for Haas in the 2017 Formula 1 season, and he has driven for them ever since. Now it has been confirmed that he is set to return to the sport’s lone American team for the third consecutive season and third overall season next year, as expected.

Magnussen is currently in his fourth full season in Formula 1. His Formula 1 career began in the 2014 season when he drove for McLaren. The following season, he attempted to drive in just one race, the Australian Grand Prix, for McLaren as the replacement for Fernando Alonso. However, an engine failure on the race’s formation lap prevented him from doing so. In the 2016 season, he drove for Renault Sport.

Here is what Magnussen had to say about returning to Haas for the 2019 season, according to Autosport.

"“I’ve never been in a better situation than the one I’m in here at Haas. This is a team filled with racers and we’re all striving for the same thing. There’s no bureaucracy and everything is very straightforward. [Team owner] Gene Haas is all about efficiency, and he and Gunther Steiner have created a very efficient environment that gets the best from its people. We all believe in each other and that’s why we’ve achieved as much as we have.”"

Here is what Haas team boss Guenther Steiner had to say about Magnussen returning to the team for the 2019 season, according to Autosport.

"“From the very beginning, we needed experienced drivers to hasten the development of our car and our team, and we have two very good and experienced drivers in Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. We’ve improved drastically from last year to this year, so retaining both drivers was a pretty easy decision.”"

Romain Grosjean, Haas’ other driver, is also set to return to the team next year.

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In the 35 races in which he has competed since signing with Haas, the 25-year-old Dane has earned two top five finishes and 13 top 10 finishes. His best finishes driving for the team are his fifth place finishes, which he earned in this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix and this year’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Magnussen finished in 14th place in the driver standings last season, and he currently sits in ninth. With him sitting just four points out of seventh, he is in a close battle to be considered the “best of the rest” behind the six Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers. Through the first 15 races of this season, he has earned two top five finishes and eight top 10 finishes.

Over the course of his Formula 1 career, Magnussen has competed in 75 races. He has earned one podium finish, four top five finishes and 27 top 10 finishes. He earned his lone podium finish in his first career race, the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. He finished that race in second place before going on to finish the season in a career-high 11th in the driver standings.

How will Kevin Magnussen perform in the 2019 Formula 1 season in what is set to be his third overall season and third consecutive season driving for Haas? Will he be in contention to be considered the “best of the rest” for the second consecutive year?