Kevin Magnussen is the big absentee from this Brazilian GP: ill, he finally has to give up his place for the entire weekend to Ollie Bearman.
But all this has no impact on his future, which he can still envisage in various roles at Haas F1 according to Ayao Komatsu, the team principal.
While the Dane confirmed having had contacts with Sauber / Audi F1 for a possible seat in 2025, he is not the favorite for that… even if his recent form seems to have boosted his chances.
If he were not to obtain this place, he could certainly have a role of reserve, development and consultant which could have real value with the arrival of Toyota as a technical partner.
“We can do up to 20 days of testing with old F1 cars (TPC) next year, but current drivers cannot do more than 1,000 kilometers. We will do TPCs in January before the start of the season with our new drivers, Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon.”
“I expect most of those miles to be used by the end of January with them.”
“But when we do TPC in-season it's much more for the development of young drivers and to have references with someone like Kevin, especially given the way he drives now, he can provide a proper reference .”
“We are also in the process of installing the simulator at Banbury. When he was at McLaren, before he became a racing driver in F1, he was very highly rated at McLaren as a simulator driver and that's something in to which he can also contribute.”
“So there are many ways to use Kevin. He can also be a reserve driver at some tracks, not everywhere, but again, look at how good he is. We discuss it openly and then try to find something something with him soon, hopefully.”
“He’s a family man, he doesn’t want to do 24 races anyway, so he certainly doesn’t want to be on the circuit 24 times a year not driving.”
Before 2025, Komatsu is also awaiting end-of-season testing at the Yas Marina circuit with Ocon.
“It will be Esteban's first time driving our car, which is important because obviously the regulations are stable. Next year's car is the evolution of this car.”
“So it will be good for him to test this car before January or as soon as possible to see what our cars are like, their strengths and their weaknesses.”
“And then, if he had his say, we could still work on it during winter development.”
“For his part, Ollie has driven this car before – practice sessions and races. It all helps us, doesn't it?”
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