Kevin Magnussen after Daytona: A strong start for the team

The Danish BMW factory driver missed out on a top result at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where the sister car instead delivered a strong podium finish for the team.

Kevin Magnussen did not achieve the result he had hoped for in this year’s edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. The American endurance classic, which traditionally opens the IMSA season, saw Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, Marco Wittmann and Philipp Eng finish eighth after remaining in contention for a podium position until the final hour of the race.

“Overall, we managed to run a strong race. Our performance in preparation and qualifying was not good enough, but as the race developed, we worked our way up through the GTP field and were able to fight at the front. I don't think anyone expected that, so that's positive. The night was tough with six hours of safety car due to fog, but once the sun came up and the race went green again, we had a competitive car to fight with,” said Kevin Magnussen.

With one hour remaining, the team decided to split strategies between the two BMW M Hybrid V8 entries. Magnussen’s #25 car was called in for an early pit stop – a move that could have put the quartet into the lead in the event of another safety car period. That scenario did not materialise, however, and instead it was the sister car, the BMW M Hybrid V8 #24, that benefited from the strategy and crossed the line in third place.

“Unfortunately, the strategy did not work in our favour, and we had to pit from third place shortly before the end of the race for a quick splash of fuel. Congratulations to our team-mates on the podium finish. It is a strong start for the team and an important achievement for BMW’s factory programme as a whole,” Magnussen added.

This year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona marked the debut of BMW M Motorsport’s new American factory team, which from the 2026 season will be operated by Belgian outfit Team WRT – the same team responsible for BMW’s Hypercar programme in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as a wide range of GT3 efforts across multiple series.

The next challenge for Kevin Magnussen and the BMW M Team WRT squad is round two of the IMSA championship, the iconic 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway on March 21.