Kevin Magnussen’s leading IndyCar debut · RaceFans

Kevin Magnussen was introduced to the IndyCar Series paddock and media for the first time on Friday morning, knowing that, in his own words, he was “the least prepared I have ever prepared for a race”.

Less than 48 hours earlier, Magnussen was used for McLaren SP and took over the orange-blue number 7 Dallara / Chevrolet instead of the injured Felix Rosenqvist. He hadn’t tested an IndyCar before the weekend started and wasn’t used to driving a Dallara IR18 without power steering. He had driven the 6.5-kilometer Road America route – in the test, not in the competition – and found a route that reminded him of classic European routes such as Spa-Francorchamps.

“I’ll be as well prepared as possible over time, but it will be a steep learning curve when I get into the car for the first time this afternoon,” said Magnussen. Even with a team-mate like World Cup leader Patricio O’Ward, who supported him, Magnussen had to overcome a very steep learning curve over the course of the weekend. “

One of the useful sources of information Magnussen used before his debut was Romain Grosjean, his Haas Formula 1 teammate for the past four seasons, who has successfully found a new home at IndyCar.

“After leaving Formula 1, a whole new world of possibilities opened up,” said Magnussen about his surprising IndyCar opportunity. “It feels very good to be able to look at all kinds of things and just go out and have fun with what I do.”

Magnussen arrived at IndyCar at short notice. “I am a racing driver and very passionate. I love driving racing cars and I love taking part in competitions. Doing all these different things and seeing all these different cars and tracks around the world is truly a privilege, and this weekend will be another great privilege. “

From the first practice session on Friday afternoon to the second session on Saturday morning, Magnussen improved his best time by 3.5 seconds. But he was second to last in his qualifying group, only four tenths faster than Jimmie Johnson. Magnussen, a veteran of 120 Formula 1 Grand Prix with McLaren, Renault and Haas, started his IndyCar debut in 21st place.

Perhaps some observers have expected more from a recent Formula One racing career, just a week after his first IMSA SportsCar Championship win on the streets of Detroit. However, one second behind the second qualifying stage after only 31 laps in an unknown car is not to be sniffed at.

He didn’t make much progress at the beginning of the race and had a wild detour through the grass at Turn 13 after six laps. This put him in 20th place, behind Takuma Sato in a damaged car. Magnussen made his first pit stop on lap 14 and then came back on lap 17 with the first full-distance warning after Johnson’s spin in turn eight.

With a new set of alternative compound tires Magnussen drove from 22nd to 18th place when the second warning came out, this time for Marcus Ericsson’s spin in turn three. With Magnussen pitting in the final safety car phase, McLaren SP’s competition director Billy Vincent – and strategist for their number 7 Dallara / Chevrolet – saw a chance to bring his driver to the front of the field. Vincent told Magnussen to stay on track while all the other cars in front of him rushed into the pit lane to refuel and change tires.

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When the race resumed from lap 25, Kevin Magnussen led the field to the green flag, for the first time since winning the Formula Renault 3.5 title in 2013 in a formula race. And with Sebastien Bourdais’ lapped car as a buffer between him and second-placed Takuma Sato (who also followed the same strategy), Magnussen was able to string constant laps in clean air on a fresh set of the softer, alternative-compound tires.

A little luck gave him the lead on lap 25. Sato was finally able to work his way past Bourdais, then past Magnussen in turn five on lap 31 – just before Magnussen pitted for his third pit stop.

Magnussen would have made it to the finish with another pit stop if he had reached the checkered flag. But on lap 33 his car lost the drive from turn seven and his first IndyCar race was over, as 24 of 25 starters were classified. An unflattering result at the end of a very difficult weekend, which Magnussen came in and out of with a positive outlook.

“I’ll leave here with a big grin, even though we didn’t finish the race because of a mechanical problem. I had a very funny experience and would like to thank everyone involved, ”said Magnussen after the race.

“All in all, this weekend was a fun experience. I am very grateful to Arrow McLaren SP for this opportunity. I would like to wish Felix a speedy recovery and be back where he should be in the car. “

Magnussen was in the lead for a total of six laps. That is six more laps than he has led in his entire Formula 1 career. That was twice as many as his father made over 11 starts in the CART series in Jan 1996 (with Penske-Hogan Racing) and 1999 (with Patrick Racing).

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Will Magnussen be the next ex-F1 driver to stand up for IndyCar? Though apparently not taking the lead on his merits alone, when he was up front he began to look like a driver who belonged there. Last month Magnussen visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while training for the Indianapolis 500, which alone sparked a discussion about whether or not the 28-year-old Dane wanted to follow Grosjean into the series.

“The Indy 500 is definitely something I want to do some day,” said Magnussen. “At the moment I’m not really actively working towards it, I just take things from day to day. I have my season with Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac in (IMSA) DPi and that’s my main focus. And then what happens and will happen in the future. I’ve said that IndyCar, and the Indy 500 in particular – it’s a dream to do and we’ll see if it happens from there. “

Magnussen’s Road America debut came too short-term and was too short to draw any definite conclusions about his potential as an IndyCar driver. But he left tantalizing questions unanswered about what he could do with a full-time drive, and ‘K-Mag’ would certainly be welcome back to IndyCar anytime in the future – be it McLaren SP, Ganassi or any other team.

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