“It is all down to performance,” Guenther Steiner gives Kevin Magnussen five races to prove himself before talking contract extension

The Dane re-joined Haas in 2022 replacing Nikita Mazepin, and had a good comeback season with the American team

“It is all down to performance,” Guenther Steiner gives Kevin Magnussen five races to prove himself before talking contract extension

Kevin Magnussen and Guenther Steiner

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Kevin Magnussen’s return to Haas in 2022 came as a last-minute shock move, which no one expecting him to secure a seat in F1 again. His first season back with the team was immense, with the team progressing far up the grid compared to previous seasons, competing for points.

Magnussen has, however, encountered a torrid start to 2023, struggling to compete with his new teammate Nico Hulkenberg. When inquired about Magnussen’s morale, team principal Guenther Steiner said,“We all know what Kevin can be doing, but we all need to be pushed. Kevin is not in a happy place now, being behind Nico. In qualifying, he is not happy. He is happy for the team, and he knows the car is there for him to be able to do it – he just needs to get it done.”

With regards to his future, Steiner clarified, “ In the end it is all down to performance but, at the moment, I’m pretty relaxed about it. I want to at least give another five races to see where we are and then start to think about it.”. Steiner also hopes to avoid a potential situation like the one that arose with Mick Schumacher, where the driver was replaced at the very end of the season for Nico Hulkenberg.

With reference to the Schumacher situation, Steiner said, “I always said last year that I would have loved to have set the drivers earlier, but we wanted to give Mick a chance to show what he can do. Hopefully, this year, we can confirm what we are doing before the summer break because it’s not nice from my point of view.” The team boss aspires to get a driver lineup confirmation for next year much sooner than they did for 2023.

Related: Charles Leclerc ‘has no intention’ to extend his Ferrari contract: Reports

Kevin Magnussen’s future at Haas relies on his performances in coming races

Magnussen and Hulkenberg via TalkSport
Magnussen and Hulkenberg via TalkSport

Kevin Magnussen was strong in 2022 for Haas, securing 25 points and a pole position. This was crucial for a team that scored no points altogether in the year prior. He was crucial in getting them back on track, putting them on an incline. However, 2023 hasn’t been the same for the Dane. He has scored only 1 point, coupled with being poor in qualifying compared to his German teammate Hulkenberg.

Magnussen has struggled to find his groove thus far and sits below his teammate in the standings following a strong race at Melbourne for the German. Hulkenberg has now scored 6 points in comparison to the Dane’s 1. The former arch rivals, now turned teammates, will look to battle it out to secure their futures on the grid with Haas, as it is a team that cannot continue in F1 unless they show results.

Guenther Steiner is as ‘no-nonsense’ as a team boss can get and will demand the maximum from both of them, pushing them to the limit. Despite Magnussen being strong in 2022 for the team, Steiner was not fully satisfied and believed he could have been even better if he pushed himself. This is a testament to Steiner being one who doesn’t want his drivers to grow lax and always demands more.

The Haas boss also believes the battle with Hulkenberg will motivate Magnussen, and he hopes for a positive rivalry where both drivers strive for more by pushing each other to improve. Kevin Magnussen’s future is undoubtedly dependent on his performances over the next few races, and should he fail to appease Steiner, his replacement could be imminent.

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