Eight team principals still have to decide their final driver pairings for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
McLaren and Ferrari can relax for now after already confirming two drivers each for next year.
A report from The Race suggests that there’s one driver on the grid who despite his long relationship with his current team, has left his team principal unconvinced that they should continue their relationship.
Only two drivers have officially changed teams ahead of 2025: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg.
While that number is likely to increase before the end of the year, for a lot of drivers, stability going into next year would be perfect before the regulation changes in 2026.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu is in a tricky position having lost the in-form Hulkenberg to Sauber before they become Audi.
Kevin Magnussen is the team’s other driver, but Komatsu is not convinced that the Dane is the right man to take the team forward at this stage.
Haas are no longer the weakest team on the grid as they have been for the past few seasons.
It means in a year where so many drivers are out of contract, they might have the perfect opportunity to strengthen their line-up.
READ MORE: Haas driver Kevin Magnussen’s life outside F1 from wife and daughters to net worth
Ayao Komatsu not convinced about Kevin Magnussen for 2025 Haas seat
If Komatsu was having doubts about Magnussen before the Miami Grand Prix, he would have been much less certain after the weekend’s action.
The 31-year-old managed to get into Q2 in Sprint qualifying but was heavily penalised for his driving during the race.
His 30 seconds of penalties helped Hulkenberg score a couple of points for the team as he held up Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda.
Magnussen’s comments after the race that he was doing what he thought was best for the team may have been said in the right spirit but didn’t go down well with Haas personnel.
Magnussen only out-qualified Zhou Guanyu for the main Grand Prix but had another race to forget.
He was adjusted to be at fault for the crash that saw Logan Sargeant’s race come to an end and the resulting safety car helped Lando Norris win his first F1 race.
The Dane picked up another set of penalties and is now closing in on a race ban as a result.
Unsurprisingly, Komatsu is not convinced yet that Magnussen is the right man to take Haas forward.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari relationship
Oliver Bearman could be Haas’s next rookie driver
The report from The Race says that a partnership between Magnussen and Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman is ‘entirely plausible’ in 2025.
The British teenager will be testing the car for the first time in Imola after his brilliant cameo for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia.
Before the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Komatsu said: “Naturally that increases Kevin’s chances [of staying, following Nico Hulkenberg leaving] but we need somebody who can be a reference for the team.
The report then goes on to say that Komatsu is ‘not convinced’ that Magnussen can be that reference point for Bearman at this stage.
Journalist Alex Kalinauckas has added his thoughts on Magnussen’s future, admitting he harmed his chances of being offered a new contract with his display in Miami.
It’s understood that Haas will move ‘heaven and earth’ to sign Bearman but Magnussen ‘must do more’ according to The Race to win Komatsu over.
Magnussen is likely to have some time to win Komatsu over with a few moving pieces in the driver’s market needing to slot into place before Haas make their move.
There will be other drivers – such as Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu – who may need a new seat on the grid next year.
That gives Haas the upper hand during negotiations at this stage.
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