Should Magnussen get the seat at Lotus?

Looks like Kevin Magnussen is not going to be out of the sport for long. After spending 2015 as a reserve driver for McLaren after a consistently good 2014, he was released from his contract on 5 October, as McLaren focus their rebuild with their world champions line-up of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

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When he was released from McLaren, Magnussen had confirmed he was still in contact with several teams over a possible seat for the upcoming 2016 season.

Now it’s being surfaced, a new look Lotus-Renault team are looking to have Magnussen partner Jolyon Palmer and not Pastor Maldonado who is currently signed to the team as one of the two drivers.

The question for Lotus, will it be in the team’s long-term interest to replace Maldonado for Magnussen?

Well, Maldonado, for all the genuine talent that he does possess, is one of the most inconsistent drivers in the sport, with only 14 of his 95 races being converted into a points finish and 27 did not finish in his career. However, he does bring in financial aid through his sponsor, PDVSA which brings his team a reported 30 million quid per annum. That’s a lot of money, for any team. Yes, while Pastor also has a win to his name, his driving is just too erratic, and crashes during his stints at Lotus and Williams are a common occurrence. So, at least, some of that 30million is going to end up in spare parts for him.

But Kevin Magnussen, on the other hand, will be a racer. First of all in the 2014 season, he proved himself to be a consistent performer, retiring just once in the 2014 season, finishing in the points 12 times (it’s nearly matching the points finishes of Pastor) in his single season. It’s sort of the opposite to the prospects that Pastor offers. If there is just one thing he lacks, its experience in the Formula One seat. With just 1 active season, he still needs a couple more seasons to truly develop.

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However, if they do take him, they have the risk of running two young drivers with little or no experience in the sport. Pastor has at least nearly 100 races under his belt. But if they do want to improve the team’s from a performance aspect and move up the places, it would be better to take Kevin. And Toro Rosso showed in 2015, that having two rookies can also lead to a successful season.

As Renault has bought the team, clearing it off its debt, there is no financial burden on the team at least for the forthcoming season. If Magnussen and Palmer are both capable enough to push the team from 11 to at least a 7 place finish in 2016, the extra prize money would more than surpass the 30 million sponsorship.

It would thereby, be in the best interests of Lotus-Renault to go ahead with Kevin if they can get him in, as from a pure sporting perspective it’s a more sound move.