As the 2024 Formula 1 season comes to a close, the sport is saying goodbye to multiple drivers as the 2025 grid goes through a dramatic reshuffle.
The driver market was through into chaos this year after Lewis Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari back in February. The 2025 campaign will see four rookies join the grid, while several drivers lose their seats in F1.
Both Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will leave the team at the end of the year after three seasons with the Swiss outfit. Bottas is in talks with Mercedes to return as a reserve driver, while Zhou is looking for a similar role.
Franco Colapinto looks set for a spell on the sidelines after making nine Grand Prix appearances this season as Logan Sargeant’s replacement at Williams. The Grove-based outfit have signed Carlos Sainz from Ferrari to go alongside Alex Albon in 2025.
Kevin Magnussen will also be out of F1 at the end of the year after confirming his exit from Haas. The Dane will be racing with BMW in 2025 with their endurance programme.
Leaving F1 is nothing new for Magnussen, with his latest exit being the third time he has found himself out of the pinnacle of motorsport.
Kevin Magnussen could not afford a plane ticket after McLaren sacking when Toto Wolff called him for a test
The 32-year-old began his career with McLaren in 2014, scoring his first and only podium on his debut at the Australian Grand Prix.
Magnussen finished the season 11th in the standings with 55 points before he was let go by McLaren and replaced by Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. Being in his early 20s at the time, the Dane reflected on how he was ‘young and dumb’ and spent his remaining earnings after paying off his investor.
Speaking with Autosport, he shared that he could not afford to buy a plane ticket after Mercedes boss Toto Wolff offered him a DTM test, with his wife paying for him to make the trip.
READ MORE: Kevin Magnussen’s life outside F1 from wife to net worth
“I ran out of money completely,” said Magnussen. “I paid a big part of what I earned to my investor. And I was young and dumb, so I spent the rest. I spent every penny I earned that year. So a few months into the following year, I simply ran out of money.
“I had no income. The bank had blocked all my credit cards. So when I got an offer from Toto [Wolff] to do a DTM shootout test with Mercedes, I couldn’t even buy an EasyJet ticket. She paid for it. And I borrowed her credit card to go to that test and buy food and petrol for the rental car. She’s really been amazing.”
Could Kevin Magnussen make a return to F1?
After his McLaren departure, Magnussen returned to F1 with Renault in 2016 before moving to Haas the following year and went on to spend four years with the team.
The Dane was sacked by the American outfit in 2020 but returned to Haas in 2022. The 32-year-old has managed to find his way back to F1 each time he was shown the door, and Magnussen has said his F1 career is definitely not over as he targets another possible return.
There will be a few seats available to the Dane in 2026, and he would provide great experience to many teams in the paddock,
Magnussen hinted at possibly joining Cadillac as the American outfit plan on bringing in an experienced driver for when they join F1 in 2026.
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