F1 News: Magnussen emerges as shock Audi-Sauber contender (Update)

(GMM) Kevin Magnussen admits it’s “a pity” his uptick in form may have come too late to remain in Formula 1 next year.

It is believed Haas has offered the 32-year-old Dane a non-driving role for 2025, amid reports that he may be a late contender to fill the vacant race seat at Audi-Sauber next year.

The hottest name in F1’s driver market at present is clearly meteoric rookie Franco Colapinto, but Williams appears reluctant to agree to anything other than a ‘loan’ to a rival team like Sauber or RB next year.

Colapinto hinted at his frustration at this in Brazil on Thursday.

“Well, I think I shouldn’t be the person asked about that,” he said when asked if Williams should simply release him from his contract.

“I think if Williams cannot give me a race seat, the normal thing should be that they allow me to go somewhere else and that they find the best opportunity for me for the future.

“But I’m not the right person to be asked. I should be the last one, you know.”

McLaren seems more willing to release Gabriel Bortoleto from its driver academy so he can go to Audi. The Brazilian, who has just turned 20, got a strong endorsement on Thursday.

“I mean, if I was Sauber, I would have signed him already,” said the triple world champion. Especially if that’s the future – young drivers.”

The incumbent at Sauber, Valtteri Bottas, is under consideration to be retained for 2025, but the Finn insisted in Brazil that he has “nothing new to say” about his future.

“No decision has been made yet,” Bottas, 34, added.

As for the reports about Magnussen’s late candidature, he admitted that a move to Audi-Sauber is probably unlikely.

“It’s a pity that we have got the car much better for me only now,” said the Dane, who has been in impressive form with the latest Haas upgrades.

“I would have liked the brakes to work perfectly from the start of the season, but it’s good that it happened eventually. But for my future, nothing has changed yet.”

Magnussen admitted he was in talks with Sauber earlier this year when Andreas Seidl was in charge. “But since Mattia Binotto took over, I haven’t heard anything,” he said.

“But he knows I’m available, so I hope for this option. A lot is happening behind the scenes at the moment, so I am in no hurry to make a decision. I have good options for the future and there is no reason to make any decisions right now.

“Let’s see how everything goes.”

(GMM) Kevin Magnussen could be emerging as a shock late candidate to sign for Audi-owned Sauber in 2025.

It is the last genuine vacancy on the Formula 1 grid for next year, but negotiations with potential teammates for Nico Hulkenberg – including incumbent Valtteri Bottas – are significantly delayed.

Some think the delay is because Audi is also in complex negotiations for potential loan deals with Williams and McLaren over highly-rated rookies Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto respectively.

But others think the deep financial crisis of Audi’s owner Volkswagen may also be playing a role, amid reports the German giant is set to close three road car factories, axe jobs and cut pay by 10 percent.

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In that context, a resurgent Magnussen – who has been left out of Haas’ 2025 driver lineup and will be replaced by Esteban Ocon – could be an ideal and affordable solution for Audi-Sauber.

The 32-year-old Dane has played no significant role in the 2024-2025 driver ‘silly season’, given that he has been consistently outpaced by current Haas teammate Hulkenberg.

However, at the wheel of Haas’ latest car upgrades, Magnussen is suddenly impressing – even standing head and shoulders above Hulkenberg’s pace in Mexico.

Auto Motor und Sport, an influential German specialist publication, gave Magnussen a 10 out of 10 score for his P7 finish on Sunday – just behind triple world champion Max Verstappen.

“In this form, the Dane should stay in Formula 1,” Auto Motor und Sport declared.

“With P7 on the grid, he was less than two tenths behind Lewis Hamilton,” the analysis added. “In the final laps of the race, Magnussen even caught up with Verstappen and crossed the line only four seconds after the Dutchman.

“In this form, the veteran is one of the candidates for the second Sauber cockpit. He is definitely better than Valtteri Bottas at the moment.”

Magnussen thinks the earlier-specification Haas cars simply didn’t suit his style.

“We have made some changes to the brakes, for example,” he said. “It just made me very confident in the car. Now I just have to try to hold on to that confidence, because something strange has happened in the last two races, which has given me a car that I can really push,” Magnussen told Ekstra Bladet.

Haas boss Ayao Komatsu agrees that Magnussen deserves to find another seat elsewhere for 2025.

“His pace in the second stint (in Mexico) was incredible,” said the Japanese. “He overtook Verstappen and finished just four seconds behind him at the end. It might be the best I’ve seen Kevin drive.”