Magnussen, Kevin

Kevin is the eldest of three children of Kristina and Yana Magnussenov; his brother’s name is Luke, and his sister, Millie.

Like most riders of his generation, Magnussen Jr. began his career in karting competitions, having spent several seasons in such prizes in the mid-2000s.

In 2008, Kevin goes to the formula-type race : the Dane spends the first season in not the strongest two-liter Formula-Renault and Formula-Ford championships, studying routes and adapting to piloting a new technique for himself. The work done is gradually rewarded - Magnussen wins the Danish Formula Ford championship, several times he comes to the podium in the ADAC Formel Masters and Portuguese Formula Renault 2.0 races. A year later, Kevin focuses on performances on the two-liter Formula Renault technique, gradually stabilizing his performances: in the Northern European Cup, he only twice in 14 starts does not make Top3 at the finish, but gains only one victory (with nine of the main competitor, Portuguese Antonio Felix da Costa ), ranking second overall; in the European Championship, the season is noticeably weaker - if Felix da Costa wins three races and fights for the title until the last, then Magnussen only once in this period comes in Top3, taking seventh place in the individual standings, more than double behind his Portuguese rival in points .

In 2010-11, Magnussen spends two seasons on Formula 3 class equipment, speaking in championships in Germany , Great Britain and Europe . Not everything works out right away, but the accumulated experience in piloting and tuning various techniques allows the Danish rider to be one of the leaders of the peloton in any of the championships, and to win victories in individual races. The fight for the general title in this period is not too successful: in the German championship Kevin is inferior in stability to Tom Dillmann and Daniel Abt , and a year later in the British series , Felipe Nasru is already losing and is not easily outperforming Carlos Huertas . Not too successful, and both attempts to win major trophies on a technique of this kind - on the F3 Masters, the Dane was third, and on the Macau Grand Prix - the 14th (while Nasr finished second).

In 2012-13, Kevin competes in the Formula Renault 3.5 Championship , which was at that time one of the two strongest European junior championships. In the first season, Magnussen was able to fight on a number of equal drivers on a number of lines with the strongest pilots of such races, winning three poles and one race. A year later, with the departure of many of the main rivals, Magnussen is promoted to the number of main title applicants: the Dane from the first races fights in the leading peloton group, regularly finishing on the podium and rarely allowing himself to lose points. By the end of the season, he is increasingly increasing his advantage in the championship, ending the season with a series of three wins and five poles. A recent opponent in Formula Renault 2.0, Antonio Felix da Costa , who before the start was listed as the main contender for the title, ultimately concedes Magnussen more than a hundred points. ^[2]

A stable fast pilot with a well-known surname ^[3] is of interest to his persona and in Formula 1 : the McLaren management invites the Dane to his tests ^[4] and includes him in his junior program. ^[5] In 2013, after Kevin's title in the Formula Renault 3.5 Championship, the British, who are going through a transitional period of their structure in the World Cup, give Magnussen the right to become one of their combat pilots. ^[6] McLaren said that if their new MP4-29 car turns out to be competitive, Magnussen will be able to become a champion in his very first season. Dane justifies the trust already at the first stage of the season-2014 , qualifying fourth, and in the race taking 2nd place (finished third, rose to one position due to disqualification of Daniel Riccardo ). ^[7] Subsequently, the results gradually fell: both due to the slower pace of completion of the car and due to the small experience of the Dane: over the next 18 races he finished 11 points in points, finishing the season on the 11th line of the individual standings, more than twice losing on points to his partner. Attempts to earn extra points at the expense of the border stiffness of the struggle on the track periodically caused fines ^[8] and discontent among rivals. ^[9]

• kevinmagnussen.com (Eng.) - Kevin Magnussen official site (inaccessible link - history , copy )
• Profile (German) on Speedsport magazine website
• Profile (rus.) On the site wildsoft.motorsport.com