Although the team also had reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi on standby, Steiner and team owner Gene Haas didn’t look outside after deciding early on that they wanted to target Magnussen, who drove for the team for four seasons from 2017 to 2020.
Steiner called Magnussen last week, and the Dane immediately agreed to return. He then had to negotiate himself out of his Ganassi and Peugeot sportscar deals before formally signing a contract with Haas on Wednesday.
