Magnussen 3rd driver for McLaren alongside Turvey and Paffett
Kevin Magnussen has been appointed by the McLaren team as the third driver alongside Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffett. The young Dane quickly embraced this new role, which he is fulfilling this weekend in Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Kevin Magnussen joined the McLaren F1 team’s young driver program in 2010. He thus had the opportunity to test the Woking team’s simulator as well as the MP4-27 last season during the young driver tests that took place in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.
The young Danish driver, aged 20, is set to take a new step this year. Indeed, he has been named the third driver of the team – starting this weekend in Shanghai. Magnussen thus becomes the third third driver for McLaren, after Oliver Turvey – busy at Silverstone for the World Endurance Championship this weekend – and Gary Paffett – committed to his DTM obligations this weekend.
Magnussen, who drives for the French team DAMS in Formula Renault 3.5 this season, will therefore share this role of third driver with his two British colleagues for the rest of the season, depending on each other’s availability.
Earlier this week, it was Antonio Félix da Costa, another member of the World Series by Renault 3.5, who was promoted to the role of reserve driver, this time at Red Bull, replacing Sebastien Buemi, who is occupied, like Oliver Turvey, with the World Endurance Championship.
