Starting our 2024 Formula One predictions is our 10th place team, Haas. The American team seem to be a team in turmoil, with longtime Team Principal Guenther Steiner being replaced well into the 2024 pre-season. Ayao Komatsu, former Director of Engineering at Haas, will take the reins for the 2024 season.
Kevin Magnussen
K-Mag’s 2022 return to Haas following the departure of Nikita Mazepin was unexpected, but even more surprising were some of the results he managed in his first season back in F1. Led by a fifth place finish in Bahrain and a shocking pole position for the sprint in Brazil, it was easy to declare the Danish driver’s return to Haas a massive success. With 25 points and 13th position in the Driver’s Championship both being top three finishes in Magnussen’s career, anticipation was high to see if he could manage even better results in 2023.
Unfortunately for Haas and the Dane, that was not the case. Magnussen had only 3 points and a 19th place finish in the Driver’s Championship to show for the season, with no finish better than 10th. Magnussen was also consistently out-qualified by teammate Nico Hulkenberg, losing that battle 15-7 in Hulkenberg’s first season with Haas.
While Magnussen’s seen as a veteran when compared to a very young grid, at 31 he is five years younger than Hulkenberg and has plenty of opportunity to remain on the F1 grid for the foreseeable future. At the moment though, Magnussen is only confirmed for the 2024 season. With new management at Haas and so much talent in F2 this season, the Dane must perform closer to those 2022 levels if he wants to retain his seat long term. If he can’t find that form again, Ferrari product and Haas reserve driver Ollie Bearman leads a long list of up-and-comers that could replace Magnussen in 2025.
Nico Hulkenberg
The return of Nico Hulkenberg to Formula One in 2023 left many surprised and confused. While he was sure to take better care of the car, the decision to release Mick Schumacher in favor of the (at the time) 35 year old Hulkenberg left many questioning Haas’s commitment to the future. But the decision turned out to be the correct one last season, with the German outscoring Magnussen 9-3 in points, as well as the aforementioned domination in qualifying compared to his teammate.
Now at 36, Hulkenberg’s future in F1 looks to be in a better place than his counterpart at Haas. While staying at Haas could certainly be an option for Hulkenberg, there is also the potential of German motorsport giant Audi entering the fray in 2026. If the German team was looking for a veteran presence for its first few years in F1, the veteran German driver could be a perfect fit.
Regardless, like his counterpart Magnussen, Hulkenberg is out of a contract after the 2024 season. Of the two, there is a decent chance only one remains after this season to be the team’s veteran. If Hulkenberg can beat the Dane head-to-head again, he looks sure to retain his seat, but if not he may have to look at the other options on the table.
Final Prediction
While Haas’ two experienced drivers may give them an edge in consistency compared to the rest of the grid, that edge does feel a bit deteriorated in a season with no rookies and no seat changes. We expect both Magnussen and Hulkenberg to put in solid performances, and this season will not reach the lows that Haas experienced in 2021 when they failed to score a single point all season. But Haas already finished last in 2023, and compared to the upward trajectory of many of the grid’s backmarkers, the American team looks to be on a relative decline. Unfortunately, this leaves us with no choice but to predict their third last place finish in four years.
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