FEBRUARY 14, 2012

McLaren promotes Magnussen

Kevin Magnussen, 19-year-old son of former F1 driver Jan, will drive a McLaren in the Young Driver test late in the season.

Kevin Magnussen, 19-year-old son of former F1 driver Jan, will drive a McLaren in the Young Driver test late in the season.

Magnussen, who finished runner-up in the British F3 championship with seven wins and eight pole positions, has been a part of McLaren's Young Driver Programme since 2010. A new role will include further preparatory work for F1, including engineering support.

He will also work under Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey in the organisation's F1 simulator before progressing into the MP4-27 car development programme.

"I'm really pleased by this new agreement," Magnussen said. "The team has shown great faith in me so far and I feel that this is an important step in my career. F1 is a highly pressured, data-driven environment, and anyone who wants to get there and succeed within it has to master all the technical aspects of the discipline. This is a great opportunity and I look forward to working with the team."

"We've been delighted by Kevin's progress, aptitude and work ethic thus far," commented team principal Martin Whitmarsh. "The time was right for him to take the next step and we look forward to helping him gain the experience he requires."

Outside his McLaren work Magnusen will drive in World Series by Renault in 2012.