Haas is set to announce its 2021 driver line-up within the coming weeks, as its Team Principal Guenther Steiner affirmed the statement will not come following the end of the 2020 season.
Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean will both depart Haas at the end of the year, with the American team refurbishing its roster for the first time since 2017.
Current Formula 2 Championship leader Mick Schumacher is expected to take on one of the seats, while rumours have linked Nikita Mazepin, who is also competing in F2 this year, to the second drive.
“We plan to announce it before the season is ending but we don’t know the exact date yet, but it’s not long to wait,” Steiner said. “It’s a maximum of two weeks, so please be patient.”
With 2022 seeing the introduction of a technical regulation overall, Haas’ main focus will be on the new rules rather than succeeding in 2021.
As a result, Steiner believes it will be a “good time” to sign rookies, who can use the year to learn the sport and understand the team ahead of the fresh 2022 regulations.
“If we bring in rookies, if… it’s a good time to bring in rookies because the car next year will not be developed a lot because the freeze on the car, the homologation of the car, so you cannot make big changes,” Steiner said.
“Obviously we can make aero changes but the car will not change in the fundamentals, so it is a development and not as new development and next year our focus will be on 2022 anyway.
“So I think it’s a transition year for us, so it would be a good year for rookies to come in, to learn being in Formula 1, getting to know the people that are around, how to go to press conferences and things like this.
“I think it will be a good year, but the development will be very small next year.”
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