The game is up for Kevin Magnussen. On the Qualifying day at British GP, reports emerged on Alpine-departer Esteban Ocon signing a Haas contract to replace the Danish driver in 2025. Yesterday, BBC Sport confirmed this development, with an official announcement expected before the Hungarian GP. And now, former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has revealed receiving text messages from Magnussen, further solidifying these claims.

Haas is undergoing a major shake-up after Ayao Komatsu took over the reins from Steiner. Rookie Oliver Bearman will replace Nico Hulkenberg, who has already signed with Sauber (to be Audi) for 2025. Furthermore, Steiner, who doubted Kevin Magnussen’s worthiness of the Haas seat, considering his ‘unimpressive’ performance against Hulkenberg, has disclosed how the Dane has been looking at other teams for 2025.

Speaking about his last text conversation with Magnussen, the 59-year-old said on the Red Flags podcast, “He texted me. I think it was two or three weeks ago. He wanted the telephone number of one of the Team Principals,” he added, as hosts Matt Elisofon and Brian Muller laughed loudly. “I don’t know what he wants to do with that, but that was the last text he sent to me.” Steiner also revealed an interesting detail on how Magnussen doesn’t have an agent who negotiates contracts with teams.

“He’s his own agent, I think. He always did his own gig. He always has somebody to look after him, but with him, when we did contracts, I always talked to him directly,” the former Haas TP added. As per BBC, Magnussen is exploring a direct swap with Ocon for an Alpine move, besides having conversations with Williams and Sauber. Unfortunately, all three teams are awaiting a response from Carlos Sainz, their top target. Though the Dane’s options are bleak, teammate Nico Hulkenberg has endorsed him to other teams.

Nico Hulkenberg disagrees with Guenther Steiner’s harsh verdict on Kevin Magnussen

Guenther Steiner shared a shaky relationship with Kevin Magnussen when he was Haas Team Principal. Though there is no animosity between them, Steiner keeps his criticism and appreciation honest. In 2024, Magnussen has only scored a meager 5 points compared to teammate Hulkenberg’s 22. Though this difference has caused Steiner to cast doubts over the Dane’s seat, Hulkenberg was seen defending his teammate.

Speaking about this stark difference in performance, the German said, “Actually, it’s really small stuff from when I look at it, and obviously I have more access to data and see exactly what happened on his side. So I think he’s (Magnussen) doing a solid job. I think he’s still a candidate, very much, for Haas or maybe some other teams.”

For Magnussen, exiting Haas would be saddening, but an F1 exit would be heartbreaking. Though he has no problem racing in other motorsport categories if all F1 teams shut their doors to him, driving at the “pinnacle” is what he “dreamt of ” as a kid. Unfortunately, emotions have no place in the dog-eat-dog world of F1 with only 20 seats available.

What’s your take on Nico Hulkenberg’s narrative about his teammate? Let s know in the comments.