Kevin Magnussen
![]() Magnussen at the 2017 United States Grand Prix. | |
Born | Kevin Jan Magnussen 5 October 1992 Roskilde, Denmark |
---|---|
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | ![]() |
2019 team | Haas-Ferrari[1] |
2020 team | Haas-Ferrari[2] |
Car number | 20 |
Entries | 103 (102 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 1 |
Career points | 157 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 2 |
First entry | 2014 Australian Grand Prix |
Last entry | 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
2019 position | 16th (20 pts) |
Previous series | |
2012–2013 2011 2010 2009 2009 2008 2008 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series British Formula 3 German Formula Three Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Danish Formula Ford ADAC Formel Masters |
Championship titles | |
2013 2008 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series Danish Formula Ford |
Kevin Jan Magnussen (born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver, currently driving for the Haas F1 Team.[3][4][5] The son of four-time Le Mans GT class winner, GM factory driver and former Formula One driver Jan Magnussen, Kevin Magnussen came up through McLaren Formula One team's Young Driver Programme and drove for McLaren in the 2014 Formula One World Championship and has driven for Haas since 2017.[6][7]
Contents
Early career[edit]
Born in Roskilde, Denmark, Magnussen began his career in karting. In 2008 he made the step up to Formula Ford in Denmark, winning the championship.[8] He also raced in six races of the ADAC Formel Masters series.[8]
In 2009 Magnussen moved up to Formula Renault, finishing runner-up to António Félix da Costa in the Northern European Cup and finishing seventh in the Eurocup, driving for Motopark Academy.[8]
In 2010 Magnussen competed in the German Formula Three Championship with Motopark Academy and Carlin Motorsport; winning the opening round of the season at Oschersleben. He finished third in the championship, taking the rookie title in the process.[9]
In 2011 Magnussen moved on to Cooper Tires British Formula 3 with Carlin.[10]
Formula One career[edit]
Magnussen had his first experience of the McLaren MP4-27 Formula One car on track at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test on 6 November 2012. He set a quickest time of 1:42.651. Previously he had done work in the team's driving simulator.[11] Magnussen's time was the best of the three-day test impressing McLaren's sporting director Sam Michael. The distance he covered in the course of the test was sufficient to earn his FIA Super Licence.[12]
McLaren (2014–2015)[edit]

On 14 November 2013 it was confirmed that Magnussen would drive for McLaren for the 2014 season, replacing Sergio Pérez.[6] In line with a new rule introduced in Formula One for the 2014 season – where drivers picked a car number that they would use during their career – Magnussen raced with number 20 as this was the number he had on his DAMS car in 2013 when he won the championship.[13]
At the Jerez and Bahrain pre-season tests he topped the timesheets, and at the first race in Australia, he qualified in fourth position.[14] In the race itself, Magnussen avoided crashing at the start – after his car encountered oversteer[15] through wheelspin – and after passing Lewis Hamilton's ailing Mercedes in the early stages, Magnussen maintained position to take a third-place finish; he finished 2.2 seconds behind Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.[16] As a result, Magnussen became only the second Danish driver – after his father Jan, who was sixth at the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix – to take a points-scoring finish,[17] and the first debutant, since Hamilton at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix, to take a podium in his first Grand Prix.[18] After the race, Magnussen described the result as "like a victory".[19] He was later promoted to second place in the results, after Ricciardo was disqualified due to fuel irregularities,[20] making him the first rookie to finish second since Jacques Villeneuve at the 1996 Australian Grand Prix.[21] Magnussen recorded eleven further points-scoring finishes throughout 2014, the majority being ninth- or tenth-place finishes; although Magnussen recorded seventh-place finishes in Austria and Great Britain – circuits where he had prior experience from junior formulae – and a fifth-place finish in Russia.
2015[edit]
On 11 December 2014, it was announced Fernando Alonso would be returning to McLaren to partner Button, leaving Magnussen to be a test and reserve driver for McLaren.[22] The driver had talks with Honda-powered team Andretti Autosport to compete in the IndyCar Series, but McLaren blocked the deal.[23] On 3 March 2015, McLaren announced that Magnussen would replace Fernando Alonso in the Australian Grand Prix, after doctors advised Alonso to not race due to a concussion obtained during a testing incident on 22 February.[24][25] However, Magnussen failed to start the race after suffering an engine failure on the formation lap.[26]
On 5 October 2015, he received an e-mail from the personal assistant of McLaren chairman, Ron Dennis, releasing him from McLaren. This was made public by McLaren on 16 October.[27]
Renault (2016)[edit]

After being released by McLaren, Magnussen was confirmed to have been in discussion to drive for the Haas F1 Team, before Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutiérrez were named as the team's drivers.[28] Magnussen had reportedly been in talks about a seat at Manor Racing in Formula One as well.[29][30] Magnussen tested a Mercedes DTM car,[31] and Porsche's LMP1 car,[32] hinting that he may have had options outside Formula One, including IndyCar, where he was believed to have entered talks with Bryan Herta Autosport about a drive.[33]
On 28 January 2016, unconfirmed reports emerged that Magnussen was set to replace Pastor Maldonado at Renault, partnering rookie Jolyon Palmer for the upcoming season, following a breach of contract between Maldonado and the team.[34] On 3 February, Renault confirmed Magnussen had joined their 2016 campaign.[3] He scored points twice with a seventh-place finish at Russia and a tenth place at Singapore, finishing the season in 16th.
Haas (2017–present)[edit]
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2019) |
2017[edit]

On 10 November 2016, it was announced that Magnussen signed a contract with Haas for 2017.[35] After signing with Haas he became the only driver to contest in the Grand Prix with all four engine manufacturers in the turbo hybrid era.[citation needed] He scored at five races, with a seventh-place finish at Azerbaijan as best result, and finished 14th in the Drivers' Championship.[36][37][38]
2018[edit]
Magnussen retained his drive for the 2018 season.[39] He would score his first fastest lap at the Singapore Grand Prix.[40] Magnussen drew the ire of several drivers throughout the season regarding his defensive driving. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Sauber driver Charles Leclerc called Magnussen "stupid" over the radio after his attempt to pass the Haas resulted in contact,[41] Pierre Gasly also critised Magnussen's defensive driving at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix following a collision between the two.[42] Scoring points in 11 races, Magnussen would finish 9th in the drivers standings, with 56 points.
2019[edit]
On 28 September 2018 it was confirmed that Magnussen would continue to drive for Haas for the 2019 season.[43] A year after his first fastest lap, Magnussen repeated the feat at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. [44] Unfortunately, the Haas VF-19 was uncompetitive for most of the season, with Magnussen scoring points in only 4 races for a total of 20 points to finish 16th in the standings. Teammate Romain Grosjean also struggled with the car, he could only collect 8 points from 3 points finishes.[45]
Personal life[edit]
Magnussen lived in Woking, Surrey, near the McLaren Technology Centre whilst racing for McLaren.[46] After leaving McLaren he moved back to Roskilde in Denmark.[citation needed] He now lives in Dubai.[47]
Between participating in Formula Ford in 2008 and unexpectedly securing sponsorship for Formula Renault in 2009, Magnussen was forced to abandon his racing career and work as a factory welder due to lack of funding.[48]
On 10 August 2019, Magnussen married Louise Gjørup Magnussen in a private ceremony.[49]
Racing record[edit]
Career summary[edit]
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results[edit]
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Motopark Academy | Dallara F308/099 | Volkswagen | LEC 1 |
LEC 2 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
VAL 1 7 |
VAL 2 1 |
NOR 1 |
NOR 2 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
ZAN 1 |
ZAN 2 |
BRH 1 |
BRH 2 |
OSC 1 |
OSC 2 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
12th | 8 |
Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Carlin | ALC 1 2 |
ALC 2 Ret |
MON 1 Ret |
SPA 1 21 |
SPA 2 1 |
NÜR 1 5 |
NÜR 2 8 |
MSC 1 16† |
MSC 2 10 |
SIL 1 Ret |
SIL 2 Ret |
HUN 1 2 |
HUN 2 23† |
LEC 1 6 |
LEC 2 24† |
CAT 1 5 |
CAT 2 4 |
7th | 106 |
2013 | DAMS | MNZ 1 2 |
MNZ 2 2 |
ALC 1 1 |
ALC 2 9 |
MON 1 4 |
SPA 1 1 |
SPA 2 3 |
MSC 1 11 |
MSC 2 2 |
RBR 1 3 |
RBR 2 3 |
HUN 1 2 |
HUN 2 2 |
LEC 1 DSQ |
LEC 2 1 |
CAT 1 1 |
CAT 2 1 |
1st | 274 |
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Complete Formula One results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
References[edit]
- ^ "Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen Return to American Formula One Team". Haas F1 Team. 28 September 2018.
- ^ "F1 - 2020 Provisional Entry List". fia.com. FIA. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ a b Barretto, Lawrence (3 February 2016). "Renault launches its 2016 Formula 1 car, the RS16". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016.
- ^ Edmondson, Laurence (1 February 2016). "Pastor Maldonado confirms F1 exit". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "Kevin MAGNUSSEN - Seasons • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ a b Benson, Andrew (19 March 2010). "McLaren and Magnussen come full circle". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
- ^ "Kevin MAGNUSSEN - Seasons • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "Kevin Magnussen Career Statistics". Driver Database. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "Kevin Magnussen vinder F3-rookie-konkurrence". racemag.dk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "Racemag.dk - Motorsports nyheder fra ind- og udland". racemag.dk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "Magnussen and Da Costa impress in Young Driver Test". grandprix.com. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Valsecchi tops final day in Abu Dhabi". grandprix.com. grandprix.com. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
- ^ "Numbers up for 2014 Formula One drivers". msn.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ Gill, Pete (15 March 2014). "McLaren still hopeful of podium finish after Kevin Magnussen impresses again". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ Anderson, Ben (16 March 2014). "Nico Rosberg dominates in Melbourne for Mercedes". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ "Rosberg dominates season opener in Australia". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ Hamilton, Ben (16 March 2014). "Magnificent Magnussen finishes third in Aussie GP". The Copenhagen Post. Ejvind Sandal; CPHPOST.DK ApS. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ "Rosberg wins as Hamilton and Vettel go out in Australia". Yahoo! Eurosport. TF1 Group. Reuters. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan; Mitchell, Scott (16 March 2014). "F1 rookie Kevin Magnussen says podium like win". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ "Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo disqualified from the results of the Australian GP". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ Ransom, Ian (16 March 2014). "Rosberg wins for Mercedes, Magnussen second". Reuters. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (11 December 2014). "McLaren confirm Jenson Button & Fernando Alonso for 2015". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ Kevin Magnussen open to future full-time IndyCar switch after F1 - Luke Smith, Crash.net, 3 March 2018
- ^ "Fernando Alonso: A Medical Update". McLaren.com. McLaren. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (3 March 2015). "Fernando Alonso: McLaren driver to miss Australian Grand Prix". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "Points don't matter to McLaren – Button". GPUpdate.net. JHED Media BV. 15 March 2015. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (16 October 2015). "Kevin Magnussen: McLaren man told about exit on birthday". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ Anderson, Ben (28 January 2016). "Haas F1 wanted Kevin Magnussen for 2016 had Grosjean declined offer". Autosport. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Manor rebrands, presentation on February 22". GPupdate.net. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Magnussen had another F1 offer for 2016". GrandPrix.com. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Magnussen lands Mercedes-Benz DTM test". Crash.net. Crash Media Group. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (27 October 2015). "Ex-McLaren F1 racer Kevin Magnussen to test Porsche LMP1 car". Autosport. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (28 January 2016). "Magnussen on verge of F1 return with Renault". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Parkes, Ian (28 January 2016). "Kevin Magnussen set to replace Pastor Maldonado at Renault F1 team". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Haas F1 Team Secures 2017 Driver Lineup by Signing Kevin Magnussen to Join Romain Grosjean". Haas F1 Team. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ^ "Kevin MAGNUSSEN - Points • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "Kevin MAGNUSSEN - Grands Prix started • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "2017 • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "The honeymoon period is over – exclusive Gene Haas Q&A". Formula.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Kevin Magnussen - Fastest laps". Stats F1. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ Karpov, Oleg; Elizalde, Pablo. "Charles Leclerc: F1 must be harsher on 'dangerous' Kevin Magnussen". Autosport.com. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ de Menezes, Jack (30 April 2018). "Pierre Gasly accuses Kevin Magnussen of being the 'most dangerous' driver in F1". The Independent. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ "F1 2019: Haas confirm Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2019 - Fastest Laps". F1.com. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ "Magnussen: Haas VF-19 'most incosistent' of all Haas cars so far". GPToday.net. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "McLaren's Magnussen headlines 2014 rookies". Fox Sports Asia. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ^ "Kevin Magnussen relocates from Denmark to Dubai". f1i.com. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (February 2014). "Kevin Magnussen". Motor Sport Magazine Archive. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ^ "Magnussen gets married in F1 break". www.grandprix.com. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
External links[edit]
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kevin Magnussen. |
Sporting positions | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Robin Frijns |
Formula Renault 3.5 Series Champion 2013 |
Succeeded by Carlos Sainz Jr. |
- 1992 births
- Living people
- People from Roskilde
- Danish racing drivers
- Danish Formula One drivers
- McLaren Formula One drivers
- Formula Ford drivers
- Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers
- Portuguese Formula Renault 2.0 drivers
- Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 drivers
- ADAC Formel Masters drivers
- German Formula Three Championship drivers
- Formula 3 Euro Series drivers
- British Formula Three Championship drivers
- Formula 3.5 V8 drivers
- Renault Formula One drivers
- Haas Formula One drivers