Grosjean and Magnussen to continue in 2018 after helping Haas match 2016 points total
Tuesday 1 August 2017 21:53, UK
Haas will retain Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen as their drivers in 2018, team owner Gene Haas has said.
The American team are in their second season in Formula 1 and have already matched the 29 points they amassed during their debut campaign.
Grosjean scored all their points in 2016 and has 18 this term, while Magnussen, who replaced Esteban Gutierrez at the end of last year, has collected 11 points from the opening 10 races
"We will run with the same drivers that we have this year again next year. That is a given," Haas told the official Formula 1 website.
"And given the other continuity aspects, we should be better racers next season."
Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi, who tested for Haas at the British GP and will do so again later in the season, and Formula 2 championship leader Charles Leclerc had both been linked with a Haas drive in 2018.
But team principal Guenther Steiner had hinted at Silverstone that they would retain Grosjean and Magnussen due to how their experience had helped the team progress this year.
"We are not a very established team, we are still growing. We will get a few more races into it. We are OK with the drivers. At the moment we are not thinking about it and are trying to get established to our satisfaction," he told reporters.
"Experience matters - it has paid off. We couldn't have done what we have without the drivers. As much as sometimes Romain is critiqued for his practice feedback, we are OK with it because it helps us to grow. Everyone has their own way.
"We made another good step this year and that is for sure down to the drivers, not only the team getting more mature."
Haas added that he expects the team to keep improving over the second half of the season.
"My guess is that we will score at least another 29 points," he said.
"And next year, without a big car or engine change, and with the drivers the same, that should give us a nice continuity boost."
If you are using skysports.com you can comment below to get involved in the debate, but please adhere to our House Rules. If you wish to report any comment, simply click on the down arrow next to the offending comment and click 'Report'.
