What’s next for Kevin Magnussen? Four options and a heavy hint from Haas

What’s next for Kevin Magnussen? Well, he has a few options…

It’s official: Kevin Magnussen and the Haas F1 team will be parting ways at the conclusion of the 2024 Formula 1 season. But what’s next for the Danish driver?

With Formula 1 seats filling up quickly, Magnussen may need to look beyond the pinnacle of open-wheel racing to remain employed in 2025.

Kevin Magnussen: A new Formula 1 seat?

First and foremost, Kevin Magnussen has admitted that he’s looking to stay in Formula 1 — if he can.

At the time of writing, there are only six seats from six different teams open at the moment: Haas, Alpine, Sauber, Mercedes, VCARB, and Williams.

Right off the bat, we can of course eliminate Haas.

We can also rule out VCARB — a team that has been vocal about its interest in signing younger talent in the future — and Mercedes — which already has an impressive slate of talent to choose from.

Sauber, Williams, and Alpine are all stronger possibilities for Magnussen, but again, there are already a handful of drivers who have been linked to those available seats.

Magnussen, of course, would be a great choice for any of those teams considering his experience, but it’s quite likely that any moves Magnussen makes will depend on, say, Carlos Sainz Jr.

A shot at the Indy 500?

Kevin Magnussen made a rough debut in the IndyCar series back in 2021, while he was on a break from Haas. The Danish driver unfortunately retired with mechanical problems — but he’s expressed a desire to return to the sport.

“I’m starting to think that if I finished my motorsport career having just done F1 in the midfield, that kind of feels empty in some way,” Magnussen told media, including PlanetF1.com, ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

“I watch some of those races — Le Mans, the Indy 500 — and I see the guys that win that; they look bloody happy.”

Further, in addressing the potential of a one-race ban due to penalty points in May, Magnussen praised IndyCar, saying, “I’ve raced in IndyCar and I loved the way they race over there and I feel the rules are very, very clear and very simple and the racing is great.”

A move to IndyCar would make sense for Magnussen; he spoke highly of his one-off outing in the sport in 2021, and he sounds keen to try out a different form of open-wheel racing in an effort to win the Indianapolis 500. There are plenty of seats still open should Magnussen make the jump across the pond.

More on Formula 1’s 2025 driver market

 Revealed: The seven drivers out of contract at the end of the F1 2024 season

 F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?

What about sports car endurance racing?

That line above, about the winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans looking “bloody happy”? Endurance racing would be a great next step for the Danish racer.

Kevin Magnussen already has ties to that world. In 2021, without a Formula 1 ride available, the Danish racer joined the Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing team in the prototype class, taking a win in Watkins Glen.

Further, father Jan Magnussen has also had a deeply successful career in the American Le Mans Series, which later became IMSA.

Plus, the father-son duo also paired up for the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the finished 29th overall racing an LMP2.

Endurance racing calendars are often composed of a handful of key events; those races may be long, but the season itself does not demand the rigorous travel that’s standard in something like Formula 1. For a father like Kevin Magnussen, this may be particularly appealing.

Or… another role at Haas?

Perhaps Kevin Magnussen is looking to step back from the weekend-to-weekend grind of being a full-time racer. Perhaps he’s looking for something a bit more permanent, but that wouldn’t require as much travel. Perhaps there’s still a role for him at the Haas F1 team.

In his statement regarding Magnussen’s departure, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu stated, “I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity.

“We can hopefully define that in the near future, but his extensive experience in Formula 1 and knowledge of our working operations are undoubtedly of value in our on-going growth and development.”

It’s certainly an interesting thought; because Magnussen has seven years of experience with the team and has witnessed its rise, its decline and its resurgence, he’d certainly have a great understanding of how to continue developing the car in the future.

That will become especially crucial going forward, as Haas has committed to signing rookie Oliver Bearman, whose feedback will be limited as he gains further experience.

Perhaps Magnussen’s time at Haas isn’t quite over yet.

Read next: Seven F1 driver moves to IndyCar 2025 in order of likelihood