Haas has "close to 10" drivers on 2021 shortlist

Haas F1 Team

Haas has "close to 10" drivers on 2021 shortlist

With few seats available, Haas can pick and choose

Ian Parkes & Nicolas Quarles van Ufford

Thursday 10 September 2020 19:51

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed the team is looking at close to 10 drivers for its two seats in 2021.

The contracts of current drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean expire at the end of the season, and with the likes of Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Perez on the market, as well as some exciting drivers in junior categories, Haas has options.

Realistically, only Haas and Alfa Romeo have seats available for next season as Mercedes - given Lewis Hamilton has yet to extend his deal - Red Bull and AlphaTauri are highly unlikely to tap into the free-agent market.

"Everybody is considered who is on the market," Steiner said when quizzed about 2021.

"We lay everything on the table and then we see what we want. It’s a principle question [of] what we want to do.

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"Do we keep the drivers we have got, do we want experienced drivers, do we want to start with young drivers, do we do a mix of it? Everything is on the table. Nothing changes.

"The table gets fuller and fuller by the day, at the moment, which is a good thing because then you have a choice. And choice is always good."

Steiner, who said he will "discuss with Gene" Haas before making a decision on who to pick, revealed the long list of candidates alongside Grosjean and Magnussen who have been with the team since 2016 and 2017 respectively.

"Close to 10!" added Steiner. "It’s amazing who is around at the moment. That’s why you see me very calm.

"There are only 20 seats and we’ve got 10 potential people which could do the job, which is good. Two of 10 we’ve got already [Grosjean and Magnussen]. So you’re down to eight."

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