Press release — 26 September 2026 10:00

FIA WEC: Kevin Magnussen on the hunt for points in Japan

The World Championship battle is heating up for the Danish BMW factory driver, who hopes to move up the standings in this weekend’s six-hour race at Fuji Speedway.

With three rounds remaining in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship, Kevin Magnussen remains in contention for the World Championship title. Together with Raffaele Marciello, the Dane currently sits sixth in the Drivers’ Championship with 54 points, while BMW holds an impressive second place in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

With 25 points awarded for victory plus an additional point for pole position in this weekend’s six-hour race alone, there is still plenty to fight for. A strong weekend at Fuji could therefore see Magnussen make a significant leap up the standings, where the battle for the top positions remains extremely close and competitive.

However, the Japanese circuit has not exactly been a favourite for BMW M Team WRT. Last year, Magnussen, Dries Vanthoor and Marciello were forced to retire following a crash, while their teammates in the sister car had to settle for eighth place.

The team’s BMW M Hybrid V8 has, however, undergone significant development since the difficult 2025 season. In 2026, the factory team has established itself as one of the strongest contenders in the Hypercar field and currently holds second place in the Manufacturers’ Championship following, among other results, two victories in the first five rounds of the season.

“Fuji certainly hasn’t been the easiest circuit for the programme, but we’re hoping that the positive development the entire team has made this season will also show this weekend in Japan. With three rounds remaining, the championship is really starting to heat up. The ambition is always to win, of course, but our main focus is to bring home as many points as possible,” says Kevin Magnussen.

While Fuji was the penultimate round before the season finale last year, this year’s race in Japan will be followed by two further World Championship rounds. The originally scheduled races in Qatar and Bahrain were cancelled due to the situation in the Middle East and replaced by two European events. The championship will therefore continue at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in October before the 2026 season concludes at Monza in November.

At Fuji, Kevin Magnussen, Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello will compete against 18 other cars in the Hypercar class, which also features factory teams from Toyota, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Peugeot.