Romain Grosjean will stay alongside Kevin Magnussen for a fourth straight season in 2020, Haas confirmed on Thursday.
The Frenchman, who has been with the American outfit since it joined Formula 1 in 2016, was facing competition from Nico Hulkenberg, who will leave Renault at the end of this year.
This comes as Haas endure a difficult year blighted by a lack of race pace leaving them ninth in the Constructors’ standings, including several incidents between their drivers at Silverstone and Hockenheim.
However, maintaining the status quo was seen as crucial to the team in their bid to improve performance.
“Experience, and the need for it, has been one of the cornerstones of Haas F1 Team, and with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen racing for the team in 2020, we continue to have a driver lineup that offers us a solid platform to continue our growth,” team boss Guenther Steiner explained.
“Their understanding of how we work as a team and our knowledge of what they can deliver behind the wheel, gives us a valued continuity and a strong foundation to keep building our team around.
“It’s been a tough year for us in 2019 with the fluctuation in performance of the VF-19, but our ability to tap into our combined experiences will help us learn, improve, and move forward as a unit in 2020,” he concluded.
Also Read:
- Haas explains decision to turn down Wehrlein 2020 approach
- Haas less concerned by impact of 22-race F1 calendar in 2020
- Haas say ‘common sense needs to come into play’ in Grosjean/Magnussen battles
For Grosjean, there was a sense of relief at Haas’ decision, having scored just eight points this season and retired on six occasions.
“I’ve always stated that it was my desire to remain with Haas F1 Team and keep building on the team’s accomplishments,” he said.
“Having been here since the very beginning and seen the work both Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner put into the team to make it competitive, I’m naturally very happy to continue to be a part of that.
“To finish fifth in the constructors’ championship last season in only the team’s third year of competing was something very special. We’ve had our challenges this season, but we’ll use both the experience of last year and this year to move forward into 2020.
“I’m looking forward to working with Kevin (Magnussen) and the whole team and continuing our journey together.”
For Magnussen, while he hasn’t had the uncertainty over his future that his teammate has, the disappointment of Haas’ tough 2019 is motivating him to pick it up next year.
“I’ve had the comfort of knowing I’d be continuing with the team in 2020 and that’s very much been a positive throughout what’s often been a difficult 2019 season,” stated the Dane.
“Knowing we can work to make things better, improve our understanding of our situation and get back to the level of competitiveness we showed last season – these are the things that excite me about 2020.
“We’re a team full of racers, led at the top by Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner. Nobody’s satisfied with how the 2019 season has played out, but the determination to turn things around is very much in evidence.
“I’m grateful the team have always believed in me and what I can bring to the table. We share a common goal and together with Romain, I’ll be giving it my all on-track for the remainder of this season and into 2020.”
