Press release — 13 July 2026 09:30

Kevin Magnussen Claims Maiden FIA WEC Victory with BMW

The Danish BMW factory driver secured his first victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship on Sunday after winning the fourth round of the season at Interlagos in São Paulo.

Kevin Magnussen celebrated the biggest achievement of his sports car career on Sunday as he and BMW M Team WRT teammates Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor claimed victory in the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The triumph came after a commanding performance in the six-hour race at the iconic Interlagos circuit in São Paulo – the very same Formula One venue where Magnussen claimed a memorable pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix back in 2022.

Following their runner-up finish at Spa-Francorchamps earlier this season, the BMW trio arrived in Brazil among the favourites, and they lived up to expectations with an almost flawless race. While several rivals in the 17-car Hypercar field were delayed by penalties, collisions and pit lane issues, the BMW factory squad executed a faultless race from lights to flag.

Starting from fourth on the grid, Magnussen was entrusted with the opening stint of the six-hour contest. The Dane quickly fought his way into second place after an intense battle with a Cadillac before taking the overall lead. After more than two hours behind the wheel, he handed the car over to his teammates in a strong position to challenge for victory. Throughout the remainder of the race, the BMW trio maintained control, and following the final round of pit stops, Dries Vanthoor crossed the finish line in first after successfully fending off pressure from one of the factory Ferraris, which finished second.

“I'm incredibly happy for the entire team. The car was simply fantastic today. The strategy was perfect, the pit stops were perfect, and both of my teammates did an outstanding job – everything just came together today. It means a great deal to finally stand on the top step of the podium. It's been a long time coming, but we finally made it happen. It's a huge achievement by everyone in the team, considering they started from scratch in WEC in 2024 and have already scored four podium finishes and two victories this season,” said Kevin Magnussen.

The victory marks both Kevin Magnussen's maiden FIA World Endurance Championship win and BMW's second victory of the 2026 FIA WEC season. The sister BMW M Team WRT entry also produced an impressive recovery, with Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde climbing from 16th on the grid to finish sixth. As a result, BMW retains second place in the manufacturers' standings while reducing the gap to Toyota to just five points. Magnussen also moves up to sixth in the FIA World Endurance Championship drivers' standings.