Magnussen Ready to Tackle First Le Mans in Hypercar Class

The Danish BMW works driver and former Formula 1 racer will fight for overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time as he takes on the legendary French endurance race this coming weekend.

The highlight of Kevin Magnussen’s season is approaching fast, and the Danish BMW factory driver is ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with the rest of the BMW M Team WRT squad. It will be Magnussen’s first time competing in the top class of the world’s most iconic motor race, and the former Formula 1 star is relishing the challenge.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be here. Le Mans has been a natural part of my life since I was very young. My father has competed 24 times and won four class victories. It has always been an important event, so it means something special to me. Of course, it’s also a huge deal for the entire team. It’s the highlight of the year, and while our overall goal is to win the World Championship, the rest of the season’s races are essentially preparation for Le Mans,” says Kevin Magnussen.

At Le Mans, Magnussen returns to the wheel of the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, which he shares with Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello. This marks BMW’s second entry in the 24-hour classic with its new Hypercar program, and after securing second place in the opening qualifying session on Wednesday evening — with the sister car taking eighth — things are looking promising for the German manufacturer’s effort, which is run by Belgian squad WRT.

This strong early performance has earned both BMW entries a place in Hyperpole 1, where the 15 fastest cars from the 21-car Hypercar field continue the qualifying battle. The 10 quickest will then progress to Hyperpole 2, which will determine the front portion of the grid for this year’s 24-hour race.

“The field is tight, and we’re up against some very strong competitors. It’s going to be a massive challenge, but I feel our preparations have gone well — the car has felt good ever since the first laps on test day, and we’re continuing to fine-tune it ahead of the race. I’m really looking forward to Saturday to see if all our hard work pays off,” says the Dane.

While Magnussen, Vanthoor and Marciello are behind the wheel of the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, the sister car, #20, will be driven by Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon Van Der Linde. Over 300,000 spectators are expected to attend this year’s edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which gets the green flag on Saturday, June 13 at 4:00 PM. Danish fans can follow the race live on TV 2, Eurosport, or the FIA WEC App.