The new year has begun, and in the month of January, we continue our now classic column Start Number, this time with the story behind Kevin Magnussen’s number 20. This way, we have already covered the first numbers of the new year: on New Year’s Day, we described how number 25 in Formula 1 belongs to a predecessor of Max Verstappen.
Will Kevin Magnussen be missed in Formula 1? Only time will tell. Haas F1 is starting the season with two new drivers, replacing the Dane and Nico Hülkenberg, who has moved to Sauber-Audi. One of the newcomers at Haas is Oliver Bearman, an example of the trend that the younger generation is gradually taking over from veterans like Magnussen. With his exit, start number 20 will also disappear from the F1 scene in the coming years.
The number has been inextricably linked with the Danish driver in F1 over the past decade. In early 2014, when he was still a young driver, he was allowed to choose his ‘own’ number. This was something new in Formula 1. “I chose start number 20. That’s the number with which I won the Formula Renault 3.5 championship,” Magnussen said about his choice at the time.
He claimed the title the previous year, so it’s no surprise that his choices are guided by success. However, racing with the starting number 20 in Formula 1 does not guarantee more prizes for Kevin Magnussen. The Dane does, however, have a dream start. In his first race in 2014, he finishes on the podium in Australia with his newly minted starting number 20 in the McLaren.
However, his first podium finish is also his last, as his luck quickly runs out. He does manage to secure a pole position with Haas in Brazil in 2022. However, a victory never comes. Perhaps the starting number 20 will bring more success to someone else in F1 in the future. For the next three years, however, it remains reserved as Kevin Magnussen’s number.
