Kevin Magnussen

Interesting facts

Kevin Magnussen's father Jan was also an F1 driver, but the family faced financial hardship: around 2008-2009 Kevin worked as a factory welder before finally landing sponsorship for Formula Renault. He debuted for McLaren at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix and finished second on the road after Daniel Ricciardo's post-race disqualification, making him the first debutant since Lewis Hamilton in 2007 to score a podium in his first race. His aggressive driving style repeatedly put him at odds with rivals: after forcing Nico Hulkenberg off track in 2017 he answered the criticism with a crude retort, and in 2018 Charles Leclerc called him 'stupid' and Pierre Gasly called him 'the most dangerous guy' after separate incidents. He took his only career pole position at Sao Paulo in 2022 with Haas, but was handed a race ban before the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the first driver banned since Romain Grosjean in 2012. He holds the all-time record for most Grand Prix starts, 185, without ever leading a single lap. Kevin Magnussen made his Formula 1 debut in 2014 and raced until 2024, 10 seasons in total as a Danish driver. He scored a total of 202 championship points over his career.