Pre Race
While Nico Hulkenberg is racing his Formula 1 car in Jeddah, Kevin Magnussen returns to his Hypercar at Imola. The Danish BMW works driver is competing this weekend in the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the iconic Italian circuit – the first of three European rounds on the WEC calendar.
Although Kevin has raced at Imola several times in a Formula 1 car, this will be his first time tackling the track in a Hypercar. He’ll share driving duties with his regular WEC teammates, Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello.
“Imola is an iconic place with a lot of history. It’s a fun yet challenging circuit with its narrow and twisty layout, which gives it a character that modern tracks often lack. The fans and atmosphere are also fantastic. I’ve only ever driven Formula 1 cars at Imola, so it takes a bit of time to get into the rhythm. But our preparations have gone well so far, and I’m looking forward to another round of the World Championship,” said Kevin Magnussen.
The WEC race at Imola goes green on Sunday, April 20, at 13:00 local time (GMT +2).
Wanna follow? Catch every session live on the official FIA WEC App.
Three things you need to know:
- Kevin Magnussen and his teammates narrowly missed the podium with a solid fourth-place finish at the WEC season opener in Qatar this February – a strong result that raises expectations heading into Imola!
- Kevin Magnussen isn’t the only Dane competing in the Hypercar class. At Imola, he’ll go head-to-head with fellow Danes Nicklas Nielsen (Ferrari), Michael Christensen (Porsche), Mikkel Jensen (Peugeot), and Malthe Jacobsen (Peugeot).
- The 4.9 km, 21-turn Imola circuit sees Hypercar drivers reaching top speeds around 310 km/h, with more than 50 percent of the lap spent at full throttle. Last year, over 75,000 spectators attended the Italian round.
Race Day
“We can fight for the win”
Just a quick recap from last weekend’s WEC race at Imola, Italy, where Kevin Magnussen finished sixth, securing valuable World Championship points. The Danish BMW M Motorsport works driver and Admin By Request ambassador, along with teammates Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello, was in contention for a podium finish until their BMW M V8 Hybrid lost performance in the final stages of the six-hour race.
“It’s a shame because things were really looking good. We were definitely competitive today and in the fight all the way through. It was a great and close race, and the team did a fantastic job. Now we need to investigate what went wrong with the car towards the end of the race so we can come back strong at Spa,“ said Kevin Magnussen.
Great job, team! Kevin Magnussen’s next task is the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship – the 6-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps on May 10 – where the Danish driver will once again compete for BMW M Team WRT.
📸 BMW M Motorsport
