Starting his Formula 1 career back in 2014 for McLaren, Kevin Magnussen secured a podium finish in his first ever Grand Prix, finishing second in the season opening race in Australia. Since then, Magnussen has found himself at the Renault F1 Team for 2016, partnering Britain’s Jolyon Palmer. However, much speculation over Magnussen’s place at the team has been debated, with the Danish driver being rumoured to be out of contract at the end of the 2016 season.
It’s Sink or Swim for Kevin Magnussen
After re-entering Formula 1 in 2016, the Renault F1 Team have had one points finish in twelve races, only having six points to their name. Renault themselves have called 2016 a ‘development year’ and have said that if they are to progress further up the grid for the 2017 season that they need two top drivers. To this rumours have arisen over the places of both Magnussen and Palmer, with Renault supposedly looking elsewhere for 2017. However, is this speculation needed for Renault? And do they really know the talent that they actually have within the team? Particularly in Magnussen?
As already mentioned, Kevin Magnussen experienced his dream first race in Formula 1 back in 2014, qualifying in fourth place, and finishing in second. In this race, Magnussen both out qualified, and outraced his team mate and 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, Jenson Button, showing his pace early on. By the end of the 2014 season however, Magnussen was beaten by Button in the drivers championship, resulting in the Dane being dropped by McLaren for the 2015 season.
Magnussen returned to Formula 1 in 2016 driving for Renault. Over the past twelve races, Magnussen has consistently out qualified his team mate, Jolyon Palmer, out qualifying him seven times to five. However, on race day, Palmer and Magnussen have beaten each other equally at four times to four (excluding races where either Magnussen or Palmer did not finish).
On the team mate field, both Magnussen and Palmer have been very equal, but it is quite clear that Magnussen has been faster on the Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend. In the points field, Magnussen has six points to zero when compared to Jolyon Palmer, securing his best finish so far this season at the Russian Grand Prix, finishing in seventh. This also marked Renault’s highest finish of the year so far and only points finish.
When looking at the Formula 1 career of Magnussen, it is clear that he has pace. He had the dream debut in 2014. He challenged Jenson Button for his seat at McLaren at the end of 2014. He has out qualified Jolyon Palmer so far over the 2016 season, and secured Renault’s only points finish so far in 2016. Should Renault keep him for 2017?
Looking for ‘top drivers’ for the 2017 season is a very bold and ambitious statement from Renault. The statement itself suggests that Renault do not think that neither Magnussen or Palmer are the right drivers for 2017, thus placing both drivers under threat.
Other names related to a Renault drive for 2017 include Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez, and Felipe Massa. Ocon is yet to race in Formula 1, making his debut this weekend for Manor after replacing Rio Haryanto at the team. Ocon experienced a fantastic season in GP3 in 2015, becoming the drivers champion. But is Ocon the ‘top driver’ that Renault are after? It’s impossible to say until he makes his debut for Manor at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. Although Ocon will make his debut, he could still be a gamble for a 2017 drive at Renault.
Sergio Perez is a true talent in Formula 1, finishing on the podium three times so far in 2016. He is a good driver driver but is he a top driver? A top driver in my eyes is a race winner. A title contender, past or present. This is a prospect that Perez has been yet to contend with. Also, Perez has been confirmed by Force India for a place at the team in 2017, with a sponsorship issue promoting this link between him and Renault.
When looking at these three drivers, it is clear that Felipe Massa is the ‘top driver’. Massa has won races, and has contested for titles in the past. The situation that Massa is experiencing at Williams could also promote a move for the Brazilian to Renault, with Jenson Button being linked with a move to Williams for 2017, thus pushing Massa out. But is he really the future of the Renault F1 Team? He can’t be. So far in 2016 Massa has managed to secure 38 points, and is currently lying in ninth in the drivers championship. However, he has only secured two points in the past seven races. Age isn’t on Massa’s side either, being one of the older drivers o the Formula 1 grid at the age of 35.
If Renault are looking for a ‘top driver’, Massa isn’t the driver to approach for a 2017 drive. The situation of Perez with Force India is also a grey area, but a move to Renault for Perez would be a large gamble. As for Esteban Ocon, it would be a large gamble for Renault, with the 2015 GP3 Champion being yet to race in F1.
If Renault are to target ‘top drivers’ for the future, they can’t coax or lure in names with their performances in 2016. For this reason, Magnussen and Palmer seem like the only options for the 2017 season. Magnussen in particular is a necessity for Renault to take the team forward in 2017, having the pace and the experience to provide leadership for a team looking to find glory in the future.
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