Full Name | Kevin Jan Magnussen |
Date of Birth | October 5, 1992 |
Nationality | Danish |
Current Team(s) | |
Role | F1 Driver |
Kevin Magnussen is a Danish formula one driver currently driving for HAAS F1 team. He is the son of Jan Magnussen, who is four times winner of Le Mans in the GT class. Kevin made his F1 debut with the McLaren Mercedes team in 2014 alongside the world champion Jenson Button, he qualified 4th and finished 3rd, making him the first debutant, since Hamilton in 2007, to take a podium in his first-ever F1 Grand Prix.
Magnussen described the moment "like a victory". He drove for Renault F1 team in 2016 before moving on to HAAS for the 2017 season.
Haas F1 Team(2017-20)
The young Danish driver was teamed up with Romain Grosjean for the 2017 F1 season. The driver learned his ropes within the team after a disappointing run with Renault. The first season with Haas was a steady one that saw Kevin score only 19 points and finish the season 14th in the championship. The 2018 F1 season was a step up for Haas and its drivers with Magnussen almost tripling the amount of points he scored in the previous season. The driver had 56 points to his name and finished the season 9th in the championship. The 2019 and 2020 F1 seasons were the ones that saw a true decline from the team. Magnussen could only score 20 points all season and was frustrated at the car's lack of race pace while the 2020 F1 season was much worse with the driver scoring just one point. By the end of the 2020 F1 season, the relationship between the driver and the team had become fractious and Magnussen was consequently dropped.
Haas F1 Team (2022-Present)
The driver was however once again signed by Haas in 2022 as the team lost its Russian driver Dimitri Mazepin amidst sanctions imposed during the Russia-Ukraine war. The return saw Magnussen partner Mick Schumacher at the team, a young driver in his second season and the son of the great Michael Schumacher. The impact of Magnussen on the team was immediate as he became the front-running driver in all conditions. While Mick was a bit immature in F1, Magnussen scored the most points and was even able to give the team its first pole position in F1. The 2023 F1 season has seen Kevin team up with Nico Hulkenberg.