Kevin Magnussen said he signed with BMW “to try to win some big races”adding that he had “ticked the box” by joining a major manufacturer after his Formula 1 run with Haas ended.
The Dane, son of four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jan Magnussen, will make his debut with the Bavarian brand as part of a two-car GTP operation at the 24 Hours of Daytona, an iconic race if ever there was one.
This will be a preliminary step to his main programme, which will be to join the WRT team in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
At Daytona, Magnussen will return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where he competed in 2021, as part of Chip Ganassi Racing's Cadillac DPi program.
He was then to be part of Peugeot's Hypercar entry before an opportunity to return to the Haas F1 Team arose: he ultimately took part in three more seasons in F1.
“I’ve kind of been preparing a little bit for even a few years”Magnussen conceded to Sportscar365 about his move to BMW. “I knew I didn't really want to continue in Formula 1. I wasn't really looking for another contract in Formula 1. So I had already turned my attention to other things. And I knew that sports cars were where I wanted to be, especially in LMDh. »
-“I think it's very exciting to see how competitive it is at the moment, with all these manufacturers joining us. Everyone says it’s the golden age of sports car racing and I really wanted to be a part of it.”
“We have been talking about my arrival at BMW for several years. It was always a bit in the cards. I wanted to move on to sports cars for good. I wanted to work for a big manufacturer, of course. So I checked that box. I've been following the developments closely and, yes, BMW didn't have the year they were hoping for in year one, I think it's fair to say. But they have made considerable progress. »
Magnussen is thus heading towards his first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2021, when he shared an Oreca High Class Racing with his father and Anders Fjordbach.
“I came here to try to win big races, so you have to do them”he continued. “The main ones this year are of course Le Mans and Daytona. So I think it's a really good program for me. I'm very happy that BMW gave me a chance and I hope we can continue the progress made last year. »
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