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Kevin Magnussen’s time at Haas looks very likely to come to an end at the conclusion of the 2020 season and will also draw a line under his F1 career.

Kevin Magnussen is one of the drivers on the grid still without a confirmed seat for 2021, and has admitted already to feeling uncertain at holding onto a seat as Haas evaluate a change of direction for next season. Team boss Guenther Steiner has said that he is open to running rookies in 2021 as the team look ahead to the change in regulations for 2022.

“If you think in a short term then you should get the best drivers on the market but if you think in a long term then maybe we should do a year with young drivers and prepare them for 2022 because that is also an investment.”

“Financially it is also about investing as much as possible in the car for 2022 and maybe not in the drivers. We have not decided yet. It is not easy. But we are in no hurry, the market is big for us.”

According to Danish media reports, including BT.dk and Ekstra Bladet, Magnussen has lost his seat at Haas for next season and it’s only a matter of time until Haas confirm that both he and Romain Grosjean will leave at the end of this season. The decision could be announced before this weekend’s Grand Prix at Portimao.

Both current drivers being forced out wouldn't be particularly surprising, as it was felt they were on borrowed time even this year, having incurred the wrath of Steiner on several occasions in 2019 as the pair tripped over themselves. While Magnussen has been a solid pair of hands, the relationship between himself and Steiner apparently became uneasy during 2019 and hasn't recovered as the team continues to struggle for pace.

This leaves the door open for the likes of Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott, if Haas are interested. Both are Ferrari juniors, with Ilott scheduled to drive in practice for the team at the Nurburgring last time out until rain stopped play at the circuit. However, Schumacher is more likely to end up at the Alfa Romeo team as a replacement for Antonio Giovinazzi, while Ilott may not get his opportunity just yet as Haas are looking to the pay driver route. With the coronavirus pandemic affecting the bottom line of a team that has struggled for pace and external sponsorship ever since the disastrous Rich Energy debacle, Gene Haas wants drivers with funding.

As a result, the most likely candidate to join Haas is... 21 year old F2 driver Nikita Mazepin. He comes with serious backing from his father’s Uralkali group. If this name sounds familiar, it's because they were strongly linked with a bid to buy out the Force India team from Vijay Mallya two years ago, before being usurped by Lawrence Stroll's Racing Point - something which apparently annoyed Dimitry Mazepin considerably at the time.

If Magnussen is out on his ear, then it’s unlikely he’ll be able to find another seat in Formula 1 at the moment. Nico Hulkenberg looks to be Red Bull's backup plan for if they ditch Alex Albon, while Sergio Perez is rumoured to be joining Williams to replace George Russell as new owners Dorilton want to make their own way. Alfa Romeo's line-up is going to be decided by whether Kimi Raikkonen wants to continue or not, and this now looks he is going to commit to another year. Alpha Tauri is a closed shop, with the only possible change being Yuki Tsunoda's promotion from F2.

Magnussen might have to look around for an IndyCar seat, or a move to sportscars - an arena where his dad Jan Magnussen has been very successful since the end of his F1 career.

As for Romain Grosjean, he has indicated an interest in a switch to sportscars, with a possible link-up with Peugeot’s hypercard project on the horizon. Formula E usually provides a haven for drivers losing their F1 seats, and he’s also said he’s not ruling out a move to the electric series. However, he has already said he’s not interested in a move to IndyCar as he feels ovals are too dangerous – which isn’t a unique opinion for a racing driver from Europe who is married with a young family.