Haas retains Grosjean alongside Magnussen for F1 2020

Haas has announced an unchanged driver-line up for the 2020 Formula 1 season, with Romain Grosjean being retained alongside Kevin Magnussen. 

There had been uncertainty over Grosjean's future following his latest frustrating campaign, but the American squad has opted for experience and chosen to keep the same driver pairing for a fourth consecutive season. 

Grosjean has scored eight of Haas' 26 points - 10 fewer than Magnussen - so far in what has proven a difficult fourth year in F1 for Haas, with the team only ninth in the constructors' championship, eight points behind Alfa Romeo. 

“Experience, and the need for it, has been one of the cornerstones of Haas F1 Team, and with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen racing for the team in 2020, we continue to have a driver lineup that offers us a solid platform to continue our growth," Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said.

"Their understanding of how we work as a team, and our knowledge of what they can deliver behind the wheel, gives us a valued continuity and a strong foundation to keep building our team around.

"It’s been a tough year for us in 2019 with the fluctuation in performance of the VF-19, but our ability to tap into our combined experiences will help us learn, improve, and move forward as a unit in 2020."

Grosjean, who will be entering his ninth full season in F1 and fifth with Haas in 2020, added: “I’ve always stated that it was my desire to remain with Haas F1 Team and keep building on the team’s accomplishments.

"Having been here since the very beginning and seen the work both Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner put into the team to make it competitive, I’m naturally very happy to continue to be a part of that.

"To finish fifth in the constructors’ championship last season in only the team’s third year of competing was something very special. We’ve had our challenges this season, but we’ll use both the experience of last year and this year to move forward into 2020.

"I’m looking forward to working with Kevin [Magnussen] and the whole team and continuing our journey together.”

The move leaves further question marks over the future of Nico Hulkenberg, who lost his seat at Renault to Esteban Ocon and is faced with a spell on the sidelines. 

Haas looked like the most likely landing spot for the German driver, who has been linked as an outside option for a Red Bull drive, while a space could open up at Alfa Romeo if the team decides not to stick with Antonio Giovinazzi for a second season.