Ups and Downs for Kevin Magnussen at Spa-Francorchamps

The Danish BMW works driver showed impressive pace in this weekend’s World Endurance Championship race at Spa, but unfortunate penalties ultimately cost him a chance at a top result.

Round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship initially looked promising for Kevin Magnussen and Raffaele Marciello. After a stellar opening stint by Magnussen—who advanced from 11th to sixth on the opening lap in front of a record crowd of nearly 100,000 spectators—the duo soon ran into trouble.

Following two strong stints, Magnussen handed over the BMW M Hybrid V8 in fourth position within the 18-car Hypercar field, with Raffaele Marciello taking over. However, shortly afterward, the team was handed a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which was followed by another drive-through for a violation under Virtual Safety Car conditions.

“It was really unfortunate, especially because we got off to such a strong start. We had great pace and made up several positions early on. Sadly, after those two penalties, it was difficult to recover, and we had to settle for tenth,” said Kevin Magnussen.

While Magnussen and Marciello dropped down the field, their teammates in the sister BMW were fighting for a potential podium for much of the race. That hope was dashed late in the event, when a puncture forced the car into the pits, where a brake issue was also discovered, ultimately forcing the team to retire. Despite the setbacks, Magnussen remains optimistic heading into the season’s biggest race.

“Looking beyond the final result, it’s been a positive weekend in many ways. We had good pace, and we’ve collected a lot of valuable data ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” which is our next race, the Dane added.

The legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held on June 14–15, where Kevin Magnussen will share the car with Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor. Before that, the Danish driver returns to Spa-Francorchamps next week for preparations ahead of the Spa 24 Hours.

The Belgian GT classic takes place two weeks after Le Mans, on June 28–29, where Magnussen will compete in a BMW M4 GT3 alongside seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi and René Rast.