Kevin Magnussen

The son of former McLaren Formula One driver Jan Magnussen makes his Formula One debut in the 2014 season. He started his racing career in karting and quickly moved onto more powerful single seaters.
After early success in Danish Formula Ford he was soon competing and winning in Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula 3 before competing in the Formula Renualt 3.5 series and winning the championship in his second year.

As a product of the same driver development program that brought us Lewis Hamilton as well as a strong racing pedigree, Magnussen has become accustomed to winning at all levels of the junior motorsport ranks and will want to continue his success when he makes his debut in March.

 

[Slyboogy]

I think people are just arguing for the sake of it.

I totally get Mephistopheles and Plutus point of view, as I am sure do many others, yet it just keeps going round and round in circles.

 

[Mephistopheles]

At last the voice of reason...

 

[Hamberg]

He hasn't been put on a pedestal. Nobody has said he is going to be the next WDC. All people have said is he had a bloody good debut. Which he did. If others want to say it's only because of so and so or such and such fine. Do that.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Make a point. If someone responds then reply. If they respond then reply. If they respond it's probably best to agree to disagree, repeating the same things time after time becomes a pointless bore.

Please do not expect me to follow my own advice.

 

[Hamberg]

"I have nothing but praise for him. Third place [on the road] in your first grand prix, with the complexity of the regulations [and] a challenging qualifying in both wet and dry conditions - who could ask for more?"

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113072

What he said.

 

[gethinceri]

I rest my case.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I'm sure he can be Hamberg as can many of the drivers on the grid given the right equipment and the opportunity to do so, certainly Danny Boy showed some good speed in his first outing for RedBull and so I predict that he could be a world champion someday but not at Redbull as long as Seb is driving for them....

 

[Plutus]

Replacing Perez for Magnussen must be the best thing Ronald has done for years (since 2009, when he stepped down as a TP ) apart from building up McLaren Automotive.

 

[RasputinLives]

Apart from the fact it was Martin Whitmarsh decision.

 

[Hamberg]

I'm sure he can be Hamberg as can many of the drivers on the grid given the right equipment and the opportunity to do so, certainly Danny Boy showed some good speed in his first outing for RedBull and so I predict that he could be a world champion someday but not at Redbull as long as Seb is driving for them....

In that case so can I. Just popping off to find me some sponsorship. Being a girl and writing to David Cameron should do the trick.

 

[Jen]

Apart from the fact it was Martin Whitmarsh decision.

I have liked that post - because I like Martin, think he has been hard done by and believe McLaren would have been in exactly the same position this year without Ron.

However, it would be reassuring to know that it was Martin's decision RasputinLives

 

[Hamberg]

Apart from the fact it was Martin Whitmarsh decision.

Was it? Ron has said otherwise (I know I know!)

Dennis, who regained the helm at McLaren earlier this year, admitted he had stepped in to make sure Magnussen was signed in place of Perez, hired by former team principal Martin Whitmarsh for the 2013 season.
"Sometimes only one person can take that decision - in this instance it was me because there were a range of issues," he said.
"There were a few occasions when I stepped in during 2013 and that was one of them."

 

[RasputinLives]

Well Whitmarsh was responsible for Mclaren's young driver programme and signed Kmag and Vandoorne up to it in the first place so even if Ronald decides to step in and take the credit he can be trumped anyways.

Also if what Ron says is true and he 'stepped in' you have to ask yourself how often he did that and whether Whitmarsh was trying to manage a team that knew any decision he made could be flipped round at any moment. Hardly an environment to work in for success is it. More like being set up to fail so Ron can write his 'how I rode back into Mclaren on my white charger and saved them' chapter of his autobiography.

 

[Road of Bones]

"How one was conveyed upon the back of a pristine equine in order to facilitate a return of the McLaren Racing Concern to meritocracy"

 

[RasputinLives]

Sounds like an episode of MTC to me!

 

[Plutus]

Well Whitmarsh was responsible for Mclaren's young driver programme and signed Kmag and Vandoorne up to it in the first place so even if Ronald decides to step in and take the credit he can be trumped anyways.

Well if you argue like that it would still be Ronalds action that gave Whitmarsh permission to do so.......you see where you are going with it?
We might as well congratulate Ronalds mother for giving birth to him.
In the end Ronald decided to replace Perez with Magnussen, Whitmarsh would have continued with Perez, and that's the point.

 

[Jen]

, Whitmarsh would have continued with Perez, and that's the point.

Any proof of that?

 

[RasputinLives]

Nope. No proof at all.

 

[Jen]

Do you have proof that there is no proof? I like to be certain on tangible stuff!

 

[Plutus]

There is proof because Perez was offered a contract by Whitmarsh, so would he have liked to continue, Yes.