Magnussen switch to Haas F1 confirmed - MotorSportsTalk

Kevin Magnussen will switch from Renault Sport F1 Team to Haas F1 Team for 2017 and beyond, the American team has confirmed.

The 24-year-old Dane will thus be in his third different team in as many seasons since his 2014 debut with McLaren, having only been there for one year and then coming back to F1 with Renault this year after a one-year race hiatus.

The silly season has been such that when Nico Hulkenberg confirmed his move from Sahara Force India to Renault, it left Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer ultimately fighting for one remaining position in the Enstone-based team.

But other machinations developed and with Gene Haas’ American F1 team having eyed Magnussen’s talent, it saw him fit as an option alongside Romain Grosjean as Esteban Gutierrez announced his departure on Thursday.

Magnussen will now join Haas and for the first time in his F1 career, looks set to have his future set for more than just one year at a time.

“This is a fantastic opportunity and I’m very happy to be a part of Haas F1 Team,” Magnussen said in a release. “Obviously, I’m confident in my abilities as a Formula One driver, but I’m also very confident of what Haas F1 Team can do in its second season and every season thereafter. Gene Haas has come into Formula One with a strong vision and a different way of doing things. He’s making it work and work well. I’ve had a good vantage point all season long, and I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of next year’s Haas VF-17.”

“From the time we began looking at drivers, Kevin Magnussen was always on our short list,” added Gene Haas, founder and chairman, Haas F1 Team. “He’s accomplished a lot in a very short period of time, and we feel like he can accomplish a lot with us. Our second season will bring a new set of challenges, and we feel that pairing Kevin with Romain will help us develop our new car and continue our growth.

“I want to thank Esteban Gutiérrez for all of his efforts. He’s been an instrumental part of our first year in Formula One and we’re looking forward to finishing the season strong with him and Romain.”

Renault, meanwhile, thanked Magnussen for his year with them in a way only Renault could:

Well this comes as a shock… 😉

Joking aside, awesome news for Kev. He's been great to work with all year… [1/2] https://t.co/WYx0AuyYra

— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) November 11, 2016

… and a brilliant team member. Have fun with @HaasF1Team from 2017 onwards Kev, they are a great bunch! [2/2] pic.twitter.com/0urEPdU8wz

— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) November 11, 2016

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross