“It’s something that I’m really excited about,” Kevin Magnussen to partner up with father Jan for the Gulf 12 hours endurance race
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Kevin Magnussen and Jan Magnussen pair up for the Gulf 12 hours
Kevin Magnussen became a Formula 1 driver, following the footsteps of his father Jan Magnussen, with both coincidentally entering the sport as McLaren prodigies. Magnussen had to spend a year outside of F1 after being dropped by Haas, with the Danish driver using this time to try his hands at IndyCar and the IMSA racing series before joining the Peugeot LMDh programme for the World Endurance Championship. Although all these prospects were thrown out of the window after Kevin got a call to rejoin Haas, days before the start of the 2022 season.
Now, Kevin Magnussen will once again be taking a go at endurance racing, this time making the event even more special as the 30-year-old will be teammates with his father Jan Magnussen, as they participate in the Gulf 12 hours held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi in the MDK Motorsports-run Ferrari 488 GT3. The event will be held between 9-11 December and the father-son pairing will have a few practice runs in the 488 GT3 before going to Abu Dhabi.
Magnussen expressed his excitement about competing alongside his father and childhood idol, stating, “We’re going to get a few laps in the car before going to Abu Dhabi with it. But, of course, it’s something that I’m really excited about.” The Danish driver recognized the significance of this occasion, as it is rare in motorsport to have 2 generations in their prime in the same period. Kevin stated, “Racing with my dad is always something that I enjoy a lot. It’s such a special thing that we’re still both active racing drivers at the same time.”
Kevin Magnussen was aware of taking up as many races with his father before age takes the better of Jan, the Haas driver said, “He’s not that old, so I feel like I have to grab the opportunity, as much as I can, while he’s still in good shape and fast.” The two Magnussen’s have raced as teammates in the past, taking part in the 2021 Le Mans 24 hours but this marks the first instance of the two sharing a GT3 car. The 30-year-old exclaimed, “It’s the first time that we’re going to drive in a GT car together and I think he’s going to be pretty hard to beat in that one, but we’ll see!”
Kevin Magnussen wins the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy for his stellar F1 comeback
Kevin Magnussen was called up by the Haas F1 team at the last moment in a bid to replace Nikita Mazepin, the Danish driver accepted the challenged and was up to speed from the get-go, with the 30-year-old crossing the chequered flag in P5 at the season opener in Bahrain. The Dane put in an incredible lap during the Brazilian GP and brought home a surprise pole position. Thus Kevin’s stunning 2022 season in the sport earned him the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini Trophy,
The Lorenzo Bandini Trophy is an award in the honor of former racing driver Lorenzo Bandini, who passed away 3 days after a tragic major incident at the 1967 Monaco GP, scarring the Ferrari driver with severe burns. The award was first given in 1992 and started by Lorenzo’s wife Margherita Bandini. Magnussen joins a list of greats, including Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Jenson Button who were fortunate enough to be recipients of this eminent trophy.
Kevin Magnussen has had almost a fairytale-like return to Formula 1. The Dane has proved to the critics that he deserves a place at the pinnacle of racing and has what it takes to lead Haas. For 2023, Kevin will be partnering up with Nico Hulkenberg as the American team hopes to fight its way up the midfield pack. But before the hectic oncoming season, Magnussen will have some fun with his father as the two look to challenge for the win at the Gulf 12 hours.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2403 Articles Published)