F1 News: These Are the Drivers That Haas Could Nab for 2025 Seat

Haas F1 Team scouts experienced and rookie drivers for their 2025 lineup, with Zhou and Sargeant as leading candidates.

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen of Denmark (20) during the Las / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Haas F1 Team is eyeing several top drivers for its 2025 lineup amid improvements under new leadership with Ayao Komatsu. With current driver Kevin Magnussen likely moving on, the team's strengthened performance has attracted a hotbed of potential talent.

In Formula 1, a team's chance at victory starts long before the lights go out on race day—it begins in boardrooms, where the foundations of potential success are laid by securing top driving talents. The Haas F1 Team, now buoyed by a notable improvement under Ayao Komatsu's leadership in 2024, stands at such a crossroads, with a mix of experienced and emerging drivers tipped to fill what is a highly sought-after seat of the 2025 grid.

Among the front-runners for the 2025 seat alongside the obvious rookie Oliver Bearman is the experienced Valtteri Bottas, whose experience could provide an invaluable anchor to the newly uplifted team. Esteban Ocon, another seasoned driver with proven midfield potential, is also in the running. Perhaps most intriguingly, Guanyu Zhou's potential move to Haas could not only bolster the team's talent pool but also strategically enhance their appeal in the crucial Chinese market.

Yet, Haas’s choice might lean toward a blend of experience and fresh youth energy. American driver Logan Sargeant is reportedly in talks, riding high on permissible negotiations and the appealing narrative of an American in an American team, as Williams shows diminishing options for the young driver. Jack Doohan, son of motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan, along with Brit Zak O'Sullivan and Barbadian Zane Maloney, are also waiting on the wings to see if they can get an entry into the sport.

Strategically, Haas seems to be leaning towards securing at least one experienced driver to avoid the pitfalls of a dual-rookie lineup—a risky setup that historically leads to unpredictable seasons. This strategy favors candidates like Zhou and Sargeant, but it's yet to be decided.