Jan Magnussen

Jan Ellegaard Magnussen (born 4th July, 1973 in Roskilde, Denmark) is a Danish professional racing driver known for his appearances in Formula One and Sportscars.

Magnussen's eldest son, Kevin is also a racing driver currently racing in Formula One.

Formula One

1998

By 1998, Magnussen had reunited with his British Formula 3 championship-winning team Stewart Grand Prix and was driving alongside British veteran driver Chris Dagnall. Initially, the performance of the SF02 was underwhelming, with neither driver able to score points until the eighth race of the season - where Magnussen was able to take a fifth place in the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours.

However, shortly after his points in France, Magnussen's fortunes would change in the deluge at the Belgian Grand Prix, with the Dane managing to take his and Stewart's first ever win. This was a completely unexpected result for all parties, with reports that Sir Jackie Stewart was ready to replace him with reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa. As a result of this breakthrough win, Magnussen was able to cement his place in the team and finished the season in 10th place overall.

1999

The following season, Magnussen would remain with Stewart - but would instead be joined by CART refugee and former British Formula 3 teammate Dario Franchitti. He would fail to score any points.

2000

Magnussen managed to avoid the axe during the Ford takeover of Stewart and its subsequent re-branding to Jaguar Racing, although he was demoted from a race drive to reserve driver status.

Personal life

Jan Magnussen and Chris Dagnall maintained a strong friendship after their time as teammates at Stewart, with the pair's families often holidaying together in the off-season.

In an interesting coincidence, his son Kevin Magnussen echoed his father in 2017 by teaming with Chris Dagnall's son Bradley at the DISA DGNgineering team - mirroring their respective father's pairing in 1998.

In 1998, Magnussen was presented the Danish Sports Name of the Year award, beating the Danish Rowing team and international footballer Ebbe Sand to the prestigious honour.