BMW signs Magnussen to LMDh roster as factory driver for 2025

Kevin Magnussen will join BMW to race its M Hybrid V8 LMDh car next year after departing the Haas Formula 1 team.

The announcement made on the eve of his final race for Haas in Abu Dhabi did not stipulate which series Magnussen will contest as a factory driver for BMW, which has a presence in the World Endurance Championship and North America’s IMSA SportsCar Championship with the WRT and RLL teams.

Magnussen’s previous sportscar experience counts a season with a Chip Ganassi Racing-run Cadillac DPi-V.R during the 2021 IMSA campaign, in which he and Renger van der Zande won in Detroit.

He also made a single Le Mans 24 Hours start in the LMP2 class in 2021 and made a Gulf 12 Hours cameo aboard a Ferrari 488 GT3 in 2022.

“Kevin Magnussen is an outstanding addition to our LMDh programme,” said BMW Motorsport boss Andreas Roos. “He has regularly demonstrated his speed at the highest level in Formula 1 over the past decade. 

“Thanks to his extensive experience, he is a true asset to our project. His previous full season with a sportscar prototype in 2021 is another advantage for us, as it will surely ease his acclimatisation to the BMW M Hybrid V8. 

#20 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Valentino Rossi

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

“I am very delighted that Kevin Magnussen is part of the BMW M Motorsport family now.”

Magnussen remarked: “I am happy and proud to represent such an iconic motorsport brand as BMW in some of the world’s most legendary races. 

“After 10 years in Formula 1, I am embarking on a new and exciting chapter, and I look forward to taking on the challenge in the most innovative and advanced sportscars in the history of endurance racing. 

“A huge thank you to BMW M Motorsport for this fantastic opportunity. I can hardly wait to start the preparations and look forward to kicking off the 2025 season with the rest of the team.”

BMW has stated that its full driver line-up across both series will be announced in due course.

Briton Nick Yelloly, who raced an RLL BMW in IMSA for the past two seasons, has departed its roster to join the Meyer Shank Racing Acura team with van der Zande.

Magnussen’s F1 career peaked with second on his debut with McLaren in the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. After two years with the team his father Jan made his F1 debut for in 1995, he spent a season with Renault before embarking on the first of two stints at Haas.

The Dane initially lost his ride at the end of 2020, before returning to Haas for 2022 when Nikita Mazepin was dropped on the eve of the season.

His 185th grand prix start this weekend comes as Haas prepares to welcome an all-new driver line-up for 2025, with Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon joining the squad next year.