Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMcLaren

Magnussen determined to prove worth to McLaren

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Kevin Magnussen says he is “determined” to prove his worth to McLaren and regain an F1 race seat as quickly as possible.

With Honda returning as engine supplier, McLaren opted for the experienced partnership of world champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button for 2015. That move left Magnussen without a drive after a solid rookie season for the team last year, but he says he is not dwelling on the disappointment and wants to show McLaren that he deserves a second chance.

“McLaren-Honda evokes so many great memories in race fans all over the world, and I’m really proud to be a part of this team at the restart of such an important and historic partnership,” Magnussen said. “My new role as McLaren-Honda’s test and reserve driver is a really important responsibility, and I’m determined to prove my abilities and show what I can do not only on track, but also behind the scenes in the simulator, analysing the data and giving valuable feedback to the engineers.

“Our fight back to the front of the grid is our main focus, so it’s going to be down to me to work really hard to develop the MP4-30 and make a real difference to its performance in Fernando’s and Jenson’s hands.

“My aim is, of course, to return to a Formula 1 race seat as soon as possible, so I’ll be giving it 100 per cent, both on track and off it, to build on my last year’s experience, to show what I know I’m capable of, and to reward the McLaren-Honda team’s faith in me by keeping me on board.”

Click here to see the full gallery of the first McLaren MP4-30 images

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.