F1 Driver Kevin Magnussen Will Race In The BMW M Hybrid V8

Kevin Magnussen will drive the Haas F1 car for the last time on Sunday for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 32-year-old Danish driver spent a decade in Formula 1, having debuted back in 2014 with McLaren. He’ll still race in 2025, but not in the world’s greatest motorsport series. Instead, BMW M Motorsport has named him a works driver to fight in endurance racing.

After 185 F1 races, Kevin Magnussen will drive the M Hybrid V8 for the next season. BMW M Motorsport uses its flagship racing car in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA series. BMW isn’t announcing its full LMDh roster just yet, with the complete driver lineup to be announced at a later date.

Although Kevin Magnussen has never won an F1 race, he did grab a podium finish at his very first race. He finished second at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. His best year in F1 was 2018 when he finished ninth in the drivers’ standings. He is no stranger to prototype racing, having taken part in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where he scored one victory and five podium finishes.

If he drives the M Hybrid V8 at Le Mans, it wouldn’t be the first time. Kevin Magnussen has previously raced on the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe. In 2021, he drove the Oreca 07 for the High Class Racing team, finishing 29th in the overall standings and 17th in the LMP2 class.

Kevin Magnussen: “I am happy and proud to represent such an iconic motorsport brand as BMW in some of the world’s most legendary races. After ten years in Formula 1, I am embarking on a new and exciting chapter, and I look forward to taking on the challenge in the most innovative and advanced sports cars in the history of endurance racing. A huge thank you to BMW M Motorsport for this fantastic opportunity. I can hardly wait to start the preparations and look forward to kicking off the 2025 season with the rest of the team.”

Last month, another important name in motorsport got to drive the M Hybrid V8. MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi piloted the electrified V8 endurance race car. Rossi’s test was supposed to take place in 2023 but was subsequently pushed back. His debut in the range-topping M racer took place during the Rookie Test in Bahrain.

Source: BMW

First published by https://www.bmwblog.com

Source: BMW BLOG