Kevin Magnussen is looking forward to his next challenge after leaving F1 (Image: GETTY)
has sent a thinly-veiled dig at Formula One by saying he is looking forward to a ‘real racing’ environment in his new role.
The Dane was dropped by at the end of last season and looks unlikely to return to the grid in the future, having returned to another series he is already familiar with.
He has signed with BMW in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and is racing in this weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours, with his team starting on pole position after Dries Vanthoor topped the standings in qualifying.
Speaking ahead of the race, Magnussen made it clear that he was not missing F1 as he spoke of his excitement at returning to ‘real racing’.
The Dane has signed to race for BMW in the IMSA SportsCar Championship (Image: GETTY)
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“I’m very much looking forward to going into something that I feel is real racing, if you want,” he told .
“Not to take anything away from Formula One, but for me, it’s kind of been… there are Formula One drivers and then there are racing drivers. And I’ve always felt like a racing driver, also a Formula One driver, but very much a racing driver.”
Magnussen added that he expects to be competing for podiums and victories with BMW, something he is looking forward to after spending the last three years in the midfield with Haas.
“Where I came from [F1], only 10 first cars get points,” he said. “Here, it’s a long race. You need to keep the car clean. Of course, if you’re fighting for the win at the very end, you go for it. That’s clear. But it is a very different situation with BMW.
“I’m going to be much, much more competitive, I think, towards the front of the field, than I’ve been in Formula One. And so, it’s a very different risk-and-reward situation.
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“I’m looking forward to some great racing. I’ve been in IMSA before, and I know the racing is great. Sometimes in this Daytona 24, it’s the first race for all the drivers and you’re excited to get on track.
“It’s a little bit like they let the cows on the grass in the beginning of year and sometimes they get a little bit excited, even though there’s 24 hours to go on the first lap.”
Opening up on his preparations for the new season, Magnussen explained: “I’ve come straight off from one season that finishes very late in the year. So actually, I’ve not had that much progression.
“I had a test in Qatar with the WEC car, basically the same [car], a simulator day and then just communicating with all the engineers trying to memorise everything and get into all the wording of all the different systems.
“It’s a lot of studying. I’m trying to remember it all. The more laps you get the more second nature it just becomes and so it’s a pretty big step to go straight into the Daytona 24, but it’s also very exciting and a big challenge.”