WRT ‘didn’t choose Kevin Magnussen for WEC seat because he came from F1’
Crash.net speaks with WRT boss Vincent Vosse about ex-F1 driver Magnussen’s WEC switch
WRT team boss Vincent Vosse says “we didn’t choose Kevin Magnussen because he came from Formula 1” for its BMW Hypercar programme and feels he “brings fresh blood”.
After 10 seasons in F1, Magnussen found himself without a drive on the grid for the 2025 campaign as Haas elected to refresh its line-up with Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman.
The one-time grand prix podium finisher will switch to sportscar racing this year with famed outfit WRT as part of its BMW Hypercar programme in the World Endurance Championship.
Magnussen will drive the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 alongside Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor.
The Dane will do the full eight-round WEC campaign - including the 24 Hours of Le Mans - and the three major IMSA endurance events: the Daytona 24 Hours at the end of January, the Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans.
In an exclusive interview with Crash, WRT team boss Vosse says he could see Magnussen “was still very competitive” in F1 but his experience in single-seater racing’s top tier wasn’t the deciding factor in him joining the BMW programme.
“Well, we did not choose Kevin because he came from Formula 1,” he said.
“We chose Kevin because we think he was the right guy. On top of it, he comes from Formula 1.
“So, we could see that even in his last season in Formula 1 he was still very competitive.
“He could achieve some great results. Of course, he has some sportscar racing experience.
“And knowing Kevin for a very long time, we think he would be the right guy to take that spot.
“And of course, as you could see, we have reduced the number of drivers in Hypercar to give them more track time, to give them more experience of the car, to move from one championship to another with the progress we have made.
“Having Kevin with us brings us some fresh blood in BMW but also in WRT, in the WEC programme.
“His first race will be Daytona, of course, and then his second race will be I guess the WEC in Qatar.”
Magnussen won the Detroit Sportscar Classic in IMSA in 2021 with Chip Ganassi Racing, while he was 17th at Le Mans in the LMP2 class.
He will make his WRT debut next weekend when the IMSA season begins at Daytona.
