Kevin Magnussen relays how the BMW deal to race in WEC came about which relates to WRT boss, as he notes talks with Ayao Komatsu continues on.
Before the end of the F1 season, Magnussen had a firm racing programme for 2025 season. The Dane confirmed a return to sportscar and endurance racing with BMW in the Hypercar category. He relayed the story of how the deal happened after his close ties with Team WRT boss Vincent Vosse.
Magnussen raced in IMSA when his initial F1 stint ended after 2020. He had to cut short his contract to make a return with Haas in 2023. And now he returns to the fold, but this time, he will compete for BMW rather than Cadillac. His primary focus will be the WEC championship.
But he will compete in selected IMSA events too. When asked on how the deal came about, Magnussen relayed an amusing story. “It’s good to be racing in 2025,” he said to media. “[I’m] happy to be going back to sportscar racing. It kind of feels like where I grew up, my dad having been in sportscar racing pretty much as long as I can remember. I have been talking to Vincent Vosse who’s the team owner at WRT, which is the team that runs the BMW WEC team. I’ve known him since I was a little kid. He once saved my life when I was two years old in the swimming pool at his house at Spa, because I jumped in the pool, I couldn’t swim.
“So he was in a suit, dressed up for some gala thing that he was going to and he jumped in the pool. So, it ruined his day. But hopefully I can make up for that now. So the contact has kind of always been there. I’ve known him always. I’ve been around the tracks and around the big races there. In some way, it kind of feels like going home,” summed up Magnussen, who also turned down offers from IndyCar considering he didn’t wish to relocate to America with a young family.
“I’ve talked to teams in IndyCar,” revealed Magnussen. “I think after this many years in Formula 1, I think IndyCar is hugely attractive from a driver’s perspective. The competition over there is fantastic, the tracks, the cars, everything about it is so cool. But I think moving to the US with my family, it just wasn’t practical.”
Amid the discussions, both Magnussen and Haas team boss Komatsu have kept their line open as well. While the Dane has been clear about no reserve role, he is keen to contribute to the American’s outfit’s success in future. He wants to do something which benefits both the parties.
The reports suggested a test type of role where he becomes a benchmark for the Toyota-backed drivers, who will predominantly use the TPC programme after the Haas-Toyota deal. “I was never going to be a reserve driver,” said Magnussen. “I spoke to Ayao and we agree, of course, he has my number so he can always call me, but I’m not going to be a reserve driver as such, sitting around at every race; waiting for someone to break his leg is not what I want to do.
“I don’t need to do that. So it’s good to be racing. I’ve always had a passion for all sorts of motorsport races and with the BMW deal that allows them to go and explore and try and win some of these big classic endurance races. I am still talking to Ayao about potentially doing something with the team.
“I don’t think I’m going to go to that many races, if any. I am going to be busy with BMW and other things. That’s what we are talking about, we are pretty chilled about it, we kind of agreed that we should do something, that’s that, we will do something,” summed up Magnussen.
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