Sources say Esteban Ocon is favourite to join the team – though Haas have made no reference to their plans for the second seat.

“I’d like to thank Kevin for everything he’s given us as a team – both on and off the track,” said Komatsu. “He’s truly been a bedrock of our driver line-up over the years. Nobody’s driven more races for us and we’ve had some memorable highlights together – not least a remarkable fifth place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022 when Kevin returned to start his second spell with the team.

“He wasn’t expecting to be driving a Formula 1 car that weekend, but he put in a remarkable performance that was a tremendous boost to the entire organization and once again showcased his own talents behind the wheel.”

READ MORE: Haas further extend long-running technical partnership with Ferrari

He added: “There’s plenty of racing to go this year so I’m looking forward to seeing what else we can achieve with Kevin as we push together in the championship.

“Beyond that, and with Kevin’s special relationship with the team, I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity.

“We can hopefully define that in the near future, but his extensive experience in Formula 1 and knowledge of our working operations are undoubtedly of value in our on-going growth and development.”