Magnussen Needed to Tune Out “Disruptive” F1 References

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

Kevin Magnussen admits he needed time to tune out “disruptive” track references at the Lusail International Circuit from his time in Formula 1 as he prepares to make his FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar debut with BMW.

The Dane joined BMW M Team WRT’s factory Hypercar program after departing F1 at the end of his second stint with Haas F1 Team.

After making his first start with BMW in last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, he is set for his maiden appearance with the Vincent Vosse-led squad at this weekend’s Qatar 1812km.

Magnussen has previous experience racing at Lusail, competing in the last two editions of F1’s Qatar Grand Prix.

His second outing came last December, finishing ninth in what would turn out to be his penultimate appearance driving for the Haas operation.

However, Magnussen noted that his track knowledge gained during those races proved counterproductive because of the significant differences between F1 cars and the current generation of top-class endurance prototypes.

“You’d be better off not having that reference because it’s just so different,” Magnussen said. “You go into every corner [and] you already have like some sort of rhythm in your body that you need to get rid of.

“Take Turn 12, 13, 14: flat out in a Formula 1 car. In this car you arrive slower because there’s less power. But also you brake and downshift and it’s completely different.

“So all your references are actually a little bit disruptive in a way, but by now I’m okay.”

By his own admission, it took Magnussen “a few sessions” during last weekend’s Prologue to adjust to the new car-track combination.

“I think it took a while because it’s just like your reference you have in your body,” he said. “Some corners you don’t expect any problems and then you go in and you’re sliding around.

“So it feels like even more on the limit than I guess it would if you had no reference from a Formula 1 car but it’s okay. I think I’m managing.

“Even now sometimes it feels like in those corners, like the triple right for example, it feels like it’s very on the limit because it’s just my references are that you can be flat.”

Magnussen: WRT’s Level “Not That Different” From F1

The Dane also drew a comparison between WRT and the Haas F1 squad he recently departed, revealing that the Belgian team’s level is “not that different from Formula 1.”

“I don’t know what I expected, really,” Magnussen said.

“Because coming from Formula 1, I guess you assume things are going to be quite different. You come here and you find some things that are even more structured.

“WRT is an operation that has a lot of experience. They’ve been around for many years. Where I came from in Formula 1 actually had less experience.

“So in some ways you see that there is a very good structure and that the level is is not that different from Formula 1.

“I would say some things are at a lower level but more because that’s just what the regulations are.

“There are things like on the data side that you don’t have access to.

“[In] Formula 1, it’s all very open [with] telemetry and you have access to a lot of information on the car that we don’t have here. There’s simulation tools in Formula One that we don’t have here.

“So in some things it’s a step down, but then from an operational perspective it’s a step up, I would say. They’re very good here and it’s good fun.”