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‘There’s still time to go and win some races’ – Magnussen opens up on his exciting next chapter with BMW
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Ahead of Kevin Magnussen’s final race with Haas in F1, it has been revealed that the outgoing racer will join BMW Motorsport as a works driver for the 2025 season to take the wheel of the M Hybrid V8.
While his exact racing programme is yet to be confirmed, the Dane could have the option of competing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) or the IMSA SportsCar Championship, both of which BMW are already established in.
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The announcement has wrapped up the question of what Magnussen’s future holds after Haas elected to replace their current line-up with Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman for next year.
While his team mate Nico Hulkenberg will move to Sauber, Magnussen will have the opportunity to build on his previous experience in sportscar racing – he competed in the 2021 IMSA campaign and 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving with his father Jan Magnussen in the latter.
Speaking ahead of his final Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi, he said: “I think there’s some big races out there outside of Formula 1 that I’ve always been a big fan of. I grew up in sportscar racing with my dad because he was a sportscar racer ever since I can remember.
“I’ve been to these races supporting him and dreaming about racing these awesome events ever since I was a little kid.
“Of course Formula 1 was my main dream, my main ambition – I got there, I’ve been there for 10 years and it’s now a good time to go out. I’m still young, 32 years old, there’s still time to go and win some races.”
Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, added that Magnussen “is an outstanding addition to our LMDh programme. He has regularly demonstrated his speed at the highest level in Formula 1 over the past decade. Thanks to his extensive experience, he is a true asset to our project.”
Magnussen and Hulkenberg have scored 54 points for Haas this season, leaving them five points behind Alpine with one race to go
He will join an impressive roster of experienced competitors that includes motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi, former Formula E drivers Rene Rast and Robin Frijns, and IMSA record-breaker Bill Auberlen.
The move brings Magnussen’s on-and-off decade as a Formula 1 driver to an end – he previously made two comebacks to the grid in 2016 and 2022, but explained that this is likely to be his final departure once and for all.
“It’s actually my third last F1 race – at the end of ‘14, at the end of ‘20, and now it’s my third,” he said. “I’ve been here a few times so it’s getting old almost!
“I feel good. Like the other two times, it’s a special thing because you’re thinking about everything you do, it being the last time.
“It’s always special when you know it could be your last time, and I think it is the last time. Stepping out of the car on Sunday’s going to be a weird feeling, thinking ‘okay that was it, that’s the last time’.”
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