Kevin Magnussen Out At Haas In '25, Where Could He Go Next?

The Formula 1 drivers market puzzle is almost complete, and we had another piece fall into place on Thursday ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix with news that Kevin Magnussen's second tour of duty with Haas will come to an end when the checkered flag flies at the season finale in Abu Dhabi later this year.

In all honesty, this was not unexpected. Team boss Ayao Komatsu has his first chance to bring in new drivers — which he already did with the signing of rookie Ollie Bearman — and while the team has over-performed so far this season, it was Magnussen's teammate, Sauber-bound Nico Hulkenberg, who has been the stronger of the two drivers this season.

I'm a big K-Mag fan, so I'm bummed to see him out of a drive for the moment. It's controversial and could hurt his F1 prospects to a degree (more on that later), but I love his aggressive style and the way he has no problem playing the team game.

We've seen Magnussen rack up penalties this season in a bid to keep faster cars behind so that Hulkenberg could snag the team some points on multiple occasions this season, most notably in Saudi Arabia and Miami.

While Magnussen has 5 points to his name this season, that tactic is a big reason Hulkenberg has 22 points on the season, bringing the team's total to 27 and a comfortable P7 in the standings, 18 points clear of Alpine behind them.

If you told Haas this would be the case before the summer break, there's no way they'd believe it, and K-Mag was a big factor.

But, the driver market is so strong this year and all signs point to Esteban Ocon — a fantastic driver, but known to get into dust-ups with his teammates; it's happened with his last two — in line to hop in a Haas.

But then what does that mean could be next for Magnussen? He talked about "the next chapter" of his racing career when the team announced his departure, so where could that be?

Magnussen spent his time out of F1 driving sportscars for Chip Ganassi Racing. Could he go back to that world? (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A Return To Sportscars?

When Magnussen left Formula 1 for the first time, he spent one season racing for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Series. This was before the current Hypercar class used in IMSA and the World Endurance Championship was introduced, and with that came a whole bunch of teams wanting in on the action, meaning more available drives.

I think if I had to bet on it, K-Mag will jump over to WEC and drive for a works Hypercar team. Maybe Alpine (he formerly drove for Renault, Alpine's parent company in Formula 1) or perhaps Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot, or Porsche.

There are far more options at the top of the sportscar world than there were just a couple of years ago, so I think there will be plenty of possible landing spots for Magnussen to choose from.

Despite some similarities, IndyCar is a different animal than F1, but Magnussen has some experience in an IndyCar having jumped in a McLaren for one race in 2021. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A Move To IndyCar?

Magnussen could also try to make the jump to IndyCar, which, while still an open-wheel category like Formula 1, is a different animal.

However, he has some experience in Indycar having stepped in for an injured Felix Rosenqvist at McLaren in 2021 at Road America.

I think the big hurdle for Magnussen here would be seat availability. There aren't as many seats available even with Prema — which fields cars in Formula 2 — joining the series in 2025.

It could happen, but I don't think the F1 to Indy jump is as seamless as it was once thought to be, especially as teams are opting for young drivers out of Indy NXT or F2 more and more frequently.

Magnussen's Haas teammate Nico Hulkenberg will move to Sauber next season, and adding K-Mag as well wouldn't be a bad move for the struggling team. (Photo by Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Stay In Formula 1?

Of course, there is also the possibility that another team on the F1 grid scoops up Magnussen, but that seems like the least likely outcome of the three.

Sure, he's good enough to be in F1, there's no doubt about that. However, there aren't too many seats left.

One that's still open and kind of intriguing is at Sauber. They still need someone to pair with Hulkenberg in 2025 ahead of the team turning into Audi in 2026. Considering the team has a big ol' goose egg in the points column this season it looks unlikely that current drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Gunayu will return.

So, I submit for your approval, the idea of simply stealing Haas' entire line-up from the past two seasons.

Especially this season, Hulkenberg and Magnussen have proven to be a strong pairing.

If Sauber wants a bridge into the Audi years, I think Magnussen would be a good option.

The thing is, I don't think they'll want a bridge, and would instead want consistency going into 2026 when the regulations are overhauled and the running order could potentially shake up.