Kevin Jan Magnussen (Danish pronunciation: [ˈkʰɛ.ven ˈjan ˈmaw.nus.n]; born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for the Haas F1 Team.
He is the son of four-time Le Mans winner and former Formula One driver Jan Magnussen. Magnussen came up through the McLaren Formula One team’s Young Driver Programme and drove for McLaren in the 2014 Formula One World Championship, before a stint with Renault in 2016. Magnussen drove for Haas from 2017 until the end of the 2020 season. In 2022, Magnussen rejoined Haas on a multi-year deal and is due to leave the team after the 2024 season.
Early Career
Born in Roskilde, Denmark, Magnussen began his career in karting. In 2008, he progressed to Formula Ford in Denmark, securing 11 victories out of 15 races and winning the championship. He also participated in six races of the ADAC Formel Masters series.
In 2009, Magnussen advanced to Formula Renault 2.0 with Motopark Academy, finishing as the runner-up to António Félix da Costa in the Northern European Cup and seventh in the Eurocup.
In 2010, Magnussen competed in the German Formula Three Championship with Motopark Academy, winning the season’s opening round at Oschersleben and securing two more victories. He finished third in the championship and won the rookie title.
In 2011, Magnussen moved to the British Formula 3 Championship with Carlin, achieving seven race victories and finishing as the runner-up to teammate Felipe Nasr. He also competed in the Masters of Formula 3 race at Zandvoort, finishing third. His first and only appearance at the Macau Grand Prix in 2011 saw him qualify seventh but start from the back of the grid in the qualification race after ignoring yellow flags. He began the main race in 19th place but was eliminated after a high-speed collision.
Magnussen joined the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2012 with Carlin, alongside Will Stevens. He finished the opening race at Motorland Aragón in second place and secured pole position in both races at Spa-Francorchamps, converting the second into a victory. He ended the season seventh in the championship. In 2013, with DAMS, he claimed five victories, eight other podium places, and eight pole positions, finishing the season as champion, 60 points ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne.
Formula One Career
Magnussen had his first experience with the McLaren MP4-27 Formula One car at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test in 2012, setting the quickest time of 1:42.651. His performance impressed McLaren’s sporting director Sam Michael and earned him his FIA Super Licence.
McLaren (2014–2015)
In 2014, Magnussen drove for McLaren, replacing Sergio Pérez. He chose car number 20, which he had used in his DAMS car in 2013 when he won the Formula Renault 3.5 championship. He topped the timesheets at the Jerez and Bahrain pre-season tests and qualified fourth in Australia, the first race of the season. Magnussen avoided crashing at the start despite encountering oversteer through wheelspin and finished the race in third place, behind Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. This result made Magnussen the first Danish driver to score a podium finish and the first debutant to finish on the podium since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. After Ricciardo’s disqualification due to fuel irregularities, Magnussen was promoted to second place, making him the first rookie to finish second since Jacques Villeneuve in 1996. Magnussen recorded eleven further points-scoring finishes throughout 2014, including seventh-place finishes in Austria and Great Britain and a fifth-place finish in Russia.
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