The adventure of Kevin Magnussen en Formula 1 is now over. Definitively or temporarily: only the future will tell, but in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the Dane competed in his last Grand Prix with HaasThe man with 185 F1 starts has closed one chapter and is preparing to open the next one in Endurance, with BMW. At 32 years old, Kevin Magnussen to join LMDh program of the German manufacturer. Although his full program has not yet been announced, he has already announced that his first start aboard the BMW M Hybrid V8 will be on January 25, at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
"I am happy to return to endurance racing, said the Dane on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend. This is kind of the place where I grew up: my father (Jan Magnussen, former F1 and Endurance driver in prototype and GT, Editor's note.) having driven sports cars for as long as I can remember, and having been on the racetrack for the big races. In a way, it feels like coming home. Daytona will be the first race and BMW will announce the rest of the program shortly."
WEC or IMSA for Magnussen?
While Kevin Magnussen's participation in Daytona with BMW will be essential for the Dane to discover his new bike, it does not necessarily prefigure participation in the championship. IMSA. The now ex-Formula 1 driver could also contest the World Endurance Championship with the propeller brand. However, Kevin Magnussen has stated that a double program WEC-IMSA was not "not [his] preference", the 32-year-old driver would like to devote himself entirely to a single championship in 2025.
If he were to be aligned in WEC, Kevin Magnussen would then join Team WRT and its director Vincent Vosse, with whom he shares a great anecdote! "I've known [Vincent Vosse] since I was a little boy. He saved my life when I was two years old, when I fell into the swimming pool at his house in Spa, says the former Haas driver. I jumped in the pool and I didn't know how to swim; he was dressed in a suit for a gala he was going to and he jumped in the pool, which ruined his day, but I hope I can make up for it now! The connection has always been there, I've always known him."
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
09/12/2024 at 04:04 a.m.
An excellent "racer" for Endurance, perhaps more IMSA than WEC in fact!