Magnussen had no doubts over new Haas F1 deal

Kevin Magnussen says he never felt any doubt over signing a new contract to remain with Haas in Formula 1, with a multi-year deal being announced by the team on Friday.

Magnussen joined Haas in 2017 and has led its charge by scoring 49 points so far this year, which is the first in his career where he has not changed teams over the winter.

The Dane confirmed on Friday that his new contract with Haas covered both 2019 and 2020, and said he felt he had found a good home with the American outfit, who announced he would continue alongside current teammate Romain Grosjean next year.

“I’m extremely happy to continue with Haas for another two years. I’ve had two very good years, learned a lot, and grown a lot as a racing driver and kind of found my place I feel,” Magnussen said.

“I think I’m looking forward to those two years, and maybe more.”

Magnussen said he did not consider moving elsewhere for 2019, and that there was never any doubt in his mind that a new contract would be agreed and announced by Haas.

“There’s never really been any doubt, it’s just contracts are complex and they take a long [time],” Magnussen said.

“We’re a small team, and we don’t have a big team of people sitting back at the factory who can work on contracts while we’re working on the Formula 1 cars. It has to be done between the races.

“We both knew what we wanted to do, so there was really no stress. We didn’t really have to be one of the first to announce.

“We agreed a while ago that was what we wanted to do.”

Magnussen also felt he had greater security by agreeing a two-year deal with Haas, ensuring he can plan for the long-term without stressing about his immediate future.

“I like having two years, because it just gives you a long time to kind of figure out what you want to do. You don’t have to stress about it already in the first year,” Magnussen said.

“During the first year, you can kind of get a feeling for what you want to do a year-and-a-half in front of that. You just have a long time to kind of focus on the future without any stress.”