Personal Life
Kevin Jan Magnussen grew up in Roskilde, a city famous for its annual Danish rock festival. A passionate fan of rock and metal music, Magnussen’s middle name ‘Jan’ is a tribute to his father, Jan Magnussen, a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to his name, Kevin inherited his father’s racing genes, making the racing world a constant presence in his life from a young age.
Standout in Junior Classes
In 2008, Magnussen made a spectacular entrance into the Danish Formula Ford, winning 11 out of 15 races. He then followed the traditional path to Formula 1. In 2010, he finished third in the German F3, and in 2011, despite seven victories, he finished second behind Felipe Nasr in the British F3 and third in the Masters of Formula at Zandvoort. He also participated in the Macau Grand Prix, where he qualified seventh but had to start from the back due to ignoring yellow flags. He crashed hard in the final stages of the race, and was fortunate to survive.
He then spent two seasons in Formula 3.5. In 2012, he won a race at Spa and finished the championship in seventh place. The following year, after switching from Carlin to DAMS, he won five races, secured eight more podium finishes, and comfortably won the championship ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne. By this point, he was already in contact with McLaren, for whom he was doing simulator work. He had already made an impression at the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi in 2012, demonstrating speed and accumulating enough mileage for his super license.
Disastrous Year at Renault
The team was tough on the rookie, bringing back Fernando Alonso for 2015, although Magnussen was allowed to step in for the Spaniard in Australia after a winter testing accident. However, luck was not on Magnussen’s side, as his engine faltered during the warm-up lap and he was unable to start. McLaren let Magnussen go at the end of the year, and he found a place at Renault, which had taken over the Lotus team. Alongside Jolyon Palmer, Magnussen had a year filled with crashes and incidents.
Beginning of Long Relationship with Haas
Magnussen moved to Haas, where he would form a long-standing partnership with Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman outscored Magnussen that year, 28 points to 19. However, Magnussen was involved in several incidents that year. The most famous of these was an incident with Nico Hülkenberg in Hungary, where Magnussen forced the German off the track, causing damage. When Hülkenberg confronted him about it in the mixed zone, Magnussen responded with the now legendary words: “Suck my balls, honey.”
Turbulent Year with Rich Energy
Everything came to a head during the weekend in Silverstone, when all updates were rolled back and the team started with the same car used in Australia. However, Magnussen and Grosjean collided in the opening lap and retired, leading to open criticism from Rich Energy’s Twitter account. The company’s founder, William Storey, was at odds with Haas and his own company, and the sponsorship deal was terminated during the season. The team finished ninth in the constructors’ championship with 28 points, their worst result to date. 2020 was even more disappointing, with Magnussen scoring just one point and leaving the team under a cloud.
Personal Life
Magnussen lives in Copenhagen with his wife Louise Gjorup, and they have a daughter.
