Feb.15 (GMM) McLaren has signed up the son of a former team driver to test its 2012 formula one car later this year.
In 1995, Denmark’s Jan Magnussen – also a former McLaren test driver – made his formula one race debut with a one-off McLaren seat.
He moved on to contest 24 grands prix with Stewart until he was stepped down for poor performances in 1998.
Now, the 38-year-old’s son Kevin, who is 19, has been signed up for McLaren’s young driver programme, which will include a seat at the young driver test later this year.
Like Gary Paffett and Oliver Turvey, Magnussen will also work in McLaren’s state-of-the-art simulator.
He first caught McLaren’s attention in 2010, and last year finished runner-up in the British F3 championship with eight poles and seven wins.
This year, he will contest the Renault World Series.
“The team has shown great faith in me so far and I feel that this is an important step in my career,” said Magnussen.
