Kevin Magnussen ahead of Le Mans: The Highlight of the Year

The Danish BMW factory driver hopes to be in contention for a top result as he prepares for his second appearance in the Hypercar class at Le Mans.

Le Mans carries more significance than most races on the motorsport calendar, and for Kevin Magnussen, the French classic is no exception. This weekend, the Dane will make his third start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, representing BMW M Team WRT in the Hypercar category for the second consecutive year alongside Belgian Dries Vanthoor and Italian Raffaele Marciello.

Magnussen made his Le Mans debut in the LMP2 class in 2021 before stepping up to the top category last year. The BMW trio delivered a strong performance and lined up on the second row of the grid following an impressive qualifying effort. Magnussen and his teammates were firmly in contention for a top result before technical issues brought their challenge to an end with just two hours remaining.

This year, the crew is aiming for redemption, and following the official Le Mans Test Day on Sunday, confidence remains high within the German-Belgian factory outfit. BMW also arrives at Le Mans with strong momentum after securing a historic one-two finish in the most recent round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps.

"It's fantastic to be back. Le Mans is not only the highlight of the year, but also a legendary place with so much history. It's a race where everyone wants to perform well, which naturally brings a lot of pressure. Preparations have gone well so far. Of course, it's still far too early to predict our chances, but we had a solid test day where we completed our programme and had a car that performed well without any technical issues," says Kevin Magnussen.

"At this stage, I think we're in a strong position heading into the official practice sessions. If we can maintain that level, execute the right strategy and run a clean race without mistakes, this could be a Le Mans where we're fighting for a strong result."

Magnussen, Vanthoor and Marciello will face 17 other cars in the Hypercar class, including BMW's sister car shared by Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde. The top category also features factory entries from Ferrari, which is chasing a fourth consecutive Le Mans victory, as well as Toyota, Cadillac, Porsche, Aston Martin, Peugeot, Alpine and Genesis.

Qualifying for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans is spread across two days and begins on Wednesday, June 10. Two additional Hyperpole sessions will follow on Thursday, June 11, before the race gets underway on Saturday, June 13 at 4:00 PM. The event will be broadcast live on FIA WEC+.