Seventh team to confirm their line-up for next season as current pairing retained for third year in a row
Tuesday 4 December 2018 17:44, UK
Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean will both remain at Haas for the F1 2019 season.
The double renewal means the drivers, who have helped an improving Haas to fifth in the standings this season, will enter their third year as team-mates.
"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," said team boss Guenther Steiner.
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"We've improved drastically from last year to this year, so retaining both drivers was a pretty easy decision."
Haas are the seventh team to confirm their two drivers for 2019, but only the second after Mercedes to retain their existing line-up.
Force India, Toro Rosso and Williams are the three teams yet to name their drivers for next season."
Haas opt for continuity
With the team enjoying by far its best season in F1 to date and challenging the works Renault team for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship, Haas' decision to retain both drivers comes as little surprise.
Grosjean's position had appeared more precarious earlier in the year after a succession of crashes and incidents but, since opening his points account in Austria, the experienced Frenchman has outscored Magnussen in the last seven races.
"I think the 100-point barrier should be and will be broken, and we'll do it with Romain and Kevin," added Steiner. "Both drivers push each other to be better, and their collective feedback allows us to be better. It's not a coincidence that in their second year as team-mates, Haas F1 Team is having its best year.
"By keeping Romain and Kevin together, we aim to do even better next year."
Grosjean joined the then-start-up team from Lotus in 2016 and said: "It's impressive to see what this team has accomplished in such a relatively short time, and for someone who has been here since the very beginning, I take a lot of pride in the time, effort and sacrifice we've all put forth to make Haas F1 Team so competitive.
"Gene Haas has built something very special - something we can make even better - and it's an honour to be a part of it."
Magnussen, meanwhile, is enjoying the most consistently impressive season of his career so far and is relishing staying into a third year at Haas after unfilled single-season campaigns at both McLaren and Renault.
"I've never been in a better situation than the one I'm in here at Haas F1 Team," Magnussen said.
"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. Gene Haas is all about efficiency, and he and Guenther Steiner have created a very efficient environment that gets the best from its people."
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