Kévin Magnussen: “Competition is tougher in WEC than in Formula 1”
The Dane took part in his first World Endurance Championship race with BMW. The former F1 driver compares this discipline with the fastest single-seaters in the world.
Far from being a novice in motorsport. However, in the World Endurance Championship, Kevin Magnussen is a rookie once again. The Dane participated at the end of February in the first race of the WEC at the wheel of the BMW V8 Hypercar.
After holding third place for part of the race, he ultimately crossed the finish line in fourth position, just a mere ten seconds behind the winning Ferrari.
A few days after completing the 1,812 km of Qatar, Kevin Magnussen reflects on his experience behind the wheel of the Hypercar. He compared his race to what he experienced in Formula 1. Many things are similar to F1, and others are very different. Of course, sharing the car with other drivers means you have to work well with them, which is a big part of what I love about endurance racing. You really work closely with your teammates. It’s not like in Formula 1, where your teammate is a fierce competitor. The environment and atmosphere are very different, but in a very positive way. The operational aspect at BMW and the WRT team is of a very high standard, so it’s not even a step back. I would even say it’s a step forward and the Hypercar category is super competitive right now, with so many manufacturers on the grid.
« It’s the golden age of endurance racing and, in many ways, the competition is fiercer in WEC than in Formula 1 », added the Dane, a former Haas driver. He is delighted with the narrow performance gap between all the cars and the density of the field. He also highlights the quality of the competition in the championship. « The field is filled with very talented and experienced drivers, all the teams have superb crews, and it’s simply a great place to practice our profession. »
If for the moment only one race has taken place, the ex-Haas driver is already targeting the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the season which will be held in June.
