Haas has confirmed that Kevin Magnussen will remain involved with the Formula 1 team in 2025, despite losing his race seat.
As Magnussen prepared to compete in the Daytona 24 Hours as a factory BMW driver, the 32-year-old shared his contentment with leaving the lower end of the F1 grid behind.
"I knew I wasn't super keen on continuing in Formula 1," the Dane told sportscar365.com.
"I wasn't really actively looking for another contract in Formula 1."
However, even before the conclusion of the 2024 season, Magnussen and Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu had began exploring ways for him to stay affiliated with the team.
Recent speculation suggested that Magnussen would take on a part-time reserve role while serving as a benchmark driver for Haas' Toyota-backed Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) program and Toyota's simulator in Cologne.
Komatsu confirmed these plans during a news conference from Haas' Banbury headquarters.
"He will drive in TPC and in the simulator," Komatsu told France's Auto Hebdo.
Komatsu did not disclose who else might serve as reserve drivers for Haas in 2025, but the responsibilities are expected to be shared among Magnussen, and the Toyota affiliated drivers Ritomo Miyata and Ryo Hirakawa, despite the latter being Alpine's reserve driver.
"In Abu Dhabi," Komatsu said, referring to Hirakawa's post-season test with Haas, "he impressed us a lot on all levels, but I think the guys at Toyota already expected that."
In addition to Magnussen's confirmed role, Komatsu announced a historic milestone for the team: German Laura Müller will serve as Esteban Ocon's race engineer, becoming the first female race engineer in Formula 1 history.
"I didn't choose Laura because she is a woman," Komatsu emphasised. "We don't look at nationality or gender. That really doesn't matter—the work is what counts.
When I knew that Esteban was coming to us, I thought it was the right match."
