Is Kevin Magnussen the next Lewis Hamilton?

Kevin Magnussen will be making his debut for Mclaren alongside Jenson Button in 2014

As the 2013 season heads to a close, some of the teams are busy finalizing drivers for the 2014 line-up. McLaren was one of the teams that recently handed one of their seat to Kevin Magnussen sacking their current driver Sergio Perez, who had been with them for just one year and a replacement for 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton.

While Perez was expected to bring glory for the Woking based team much like Hamilton did, the Mexican driver could not live upto the expectations with an average season that was marred by performance issues of the Mclaren MP4-28. But Mclaren are hopeful that the new season would see them get back among the front runners and the decision to sign Magnussen is in line with their strategy for 2014 season.

So is Magnussen a champion in the making? Can he deliver the goods for Mclaren like Hamilton in his debut season? Here’s an analysis on the Danish driver’s career so far and on why Mclaren feel he could be the next Lewis Hamilton.

Sound investments reap rich benefits

Mclaren’s investment in shaping Hamilton’s career is not a secret. Hamilton’s long association with the team dated back to his childhood days and his signing,alongside two time World Champion Fernando Alonso, for a drive in 2007 was the British driver’s stepping stone to success in Formula One. In Magnussen, McLaren see a talented and skillful driver of Hamilton’s calibre and stature, and they seem ready to invest in him, somewhat similar to what Red Bull did with Sebastian Vettel.

While Hamilton had already driven over 6,000 miles of track testing before making his debut in 2007, Magnussen has done a similar testing in the team’s simulator. But Mclaren beleive grooming the young driver and shaping his raw talent could help him achieve success similar to that of Hamilton or maybe even more.

A young performer

Magnussen was signed by McLaren for their Young Driver’s program in 2009. Whilst fulfilling testing duties, he also raced in different categories before making it to the feeder F1 series. Below is a timeline of his performances of his career.

2008 – Makes his Debut at the Formula Ford Denmark and emerges at the top.

2009 – Signed for the McLaren Young Driver programme, Runner-up at Formula Renault 2.0 behind Antonio Felix da Costa.

2010 – A top performing rookie at the German Formula Three, finished third with 3 wins.

2011 – Finished second in the British Formula Three with 7 wins.

2012 – Appointed McLaren development driver, Finished seventh in Formula Renault 3.5 for Carlin with one win.

2013 – Champion at the Formula Renault 3.5 with 5 wins, Championship win earns him a call for a Formula One drive with Mclaren for 2014.

The emotional and ironical touch

Magnussen’s father, Jan Magnuessen, was an ex-Formula 1 driver with Mclaren. A product of the McLaren young driver programme himself, Magnuessen Senior made an impressive F1 debut as a replacement for an indisposed Mika Hakkinen at the Pacific Grand Prix in 1995 and finished in tenth place managing to complete more than 90 percent of the race. In the 1997 and 1998 seasons, he raced for Stewart, the team owned by former three time World Champion Jackie Stewart but could only manage 1 point.

Jan Magnuessen, Kevin’s father, was once considered one of the fastest comparable to the great Ayrton Senna

Despite his association with Stewart and McLaren, the elder Magnussen,though showing flashes of brilliance , failed to build up on his impressive debut and was unable to finish most races due to undisciplined driving. However, his potential never justified his results . Jackie Stewart once described him as the best Formula One prospect since Ayrton Senna.

McLaren feel Kevin has learnt from his father’s mistakes. Martin Whitmarsh, Mclaren team Principal, played a pivoting role in signing Kevin for the Young Driver’s programme. The decision to move Magnussen Jr to the big seat seems to be coupled with Mclarens emotions and Kevin’s talent. According to Whitmarsh, “Kevin understood why his father wasnt able to realise his potential and has overcome those problems being focussed and determined to perform at the highest level and has the making of a great F1 driver.”

While comparison to Hamilton are obvious, there talks of the young driver’s appointment being a gamble(similar to the one Mclaren took in 2012 by hiring Perez) considering the new regulations for 2014. But McLaren seemed to have gained confidence in Magnuessen and feel the time is right to invest in him, hoping that it will benefit the team in the near future and more importantly 2015 as the team would be moving back to Honda powered engines.