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Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen Returning to Haas F1 for 2020

The American Formula 1 team will look relatively unchanged for the 2020 season.

Despite a rocky 2019 season, the Haas F1 team will once again field entries for Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, the team announced Thursday, Sept. 19.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner cited experience and continuity as the driving force for the return of Grosjean and Magnussen next season.

“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,” said Steiner.

The team looks to rebound next season after a disappointing 2019 campaign that has netted the organization just 26 points with six rounds to go. Magnussen brought home the team’s best finish this season with a seventh-place result at the Spanish Grand Prix. Grosjean later equaled the finish in the German Grand Prix.

In addition, the team currently sits in ninth in the constructor’s championship. Should it finish there, it would be the lowest Haas has finished in the championship in its history.

“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,” Steiner added.

2020 will mark Grosjean’s fifth year with the team. Since joining Haas for their inaugural season in 2016, the Frenchman has netted 23 points paying results, including a team-best fourth-place finish in the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.

“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,” Grosjean said. “I’m looking forward to working with Kevin and the whole team and continuing our journey together.”

Magnussen, who joined the organization in 2017, has scored 19 top 10s throughout his tenure at Haas, including a team-high 11 in 2018. Despite only three points-paying results and team tension in 2019, the Dane is optimistic for a rebound next season.

“I’m grateful the team have always believed in me and what I can bring to the table,” Magnussen said. “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.”

About the author

Never at a loss for words, Zach Gillispie is a young, talented marketing professional from North Carolina who talks and writes on the side about his first love: racing! Since joining Frontstretch in 2018, Zach has served in numerous roles where he currently pens the NASCAR 101 column, a weekly piece delving into the basic nuts and bolts of the sport. Additionally, his unabashedly bold takes meshed with that trademarked dry wit of his have made Zach a fan favorite on the weekly Friday Faceoff panel. In his free time, he can be found in the great outdoors, actively involved in his church, cheering on his beloved Atlanta Braves or ruthlessly pestering his colleagues with completely useless statistics about Delma Cowart.

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