Kevin Magnussen ready for crucial WEC season showdown

Following three podium finishes in this year's FIA World Endurance Championship, the Danish BMW factory driver is targeting another strong result as the penultimate round of the season takes place in Barcelona this weekend.

Kevin Magnussen and BMW M Team WRT are preparing for the seventh and penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, taking place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend. As usual, the Dane will share his BMW M Hybrid V8 with Belgian Dries Vanthoor and Swiss driver Raffaele Marciello, with the trio arriving in Spain on the back of a series of strong results.

With three podium finishes this season, including a victory in Brazil and most recently a third-place finish at Fuji Speedway, Magnussen and his teammates currently sit fourth in the Drivers' World Championship standings, just six points behind the crew of BMW's sister car. BMW also holds second place in the Manufacturers' World Championship behind Toyota, leaving plenty to fight for in the final two rounds.

This weekend's race in Barcelona replaces the original season opener in Qatar, which was cancelled due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East. Meanwhile, next month's traditional season finale in Bahrain has been relocated to Monza in Italy, meaning the championship will conclude with two European races.

While the WEC field has previously raced at Monza, Barcelona presents an entirely new challenge for all Hypercar teams. None of the current Hypercar machinery has previously competed at the Spanish Formula 1 circuit, making preparations particularly important.

"It's going to be a slightly different weekend than usual because the circuit is new to all of us. Nobody has raced here in a Hypercar before, so the main challenge will be finding a good setup as quickly as possible. Fortunately, our competitors are facing exactly the same task, so it's all about making the most of the practice sessions and combining what we learn on track with the data we have from the simulator," says Kevin Magnussen.

With just two rounds remaining, the championship is heading towards a closely fought conclusion, where even small differences in results could have a significant impact on the final standings.

"Of course, we're hoping for another strong result so we can move further up the championship standings before the finale. Things are really heating up now, and you can definitely feel that there's a lot at stake. We need to be sharp and make the absolute most of these final two races," Magnussen explains.

Although the battle for championship points is far from over, the Dane can already look back on a season in which BMW's Hypercar programme has made significant progress compared to last year.

"Overall, it's been a really strong season so far. We went from a difficult 2025, which was my first year in FIA WEC, to standing on the podium three times this year, including our victory in Brazil. That's a pretty impressive step forward and shows that all the hard work everyone in the team has put into getting things back on track is paying off. It's great to see, and now it's about finishing the season on a high," adds Kevin Magnussen.

In Barcelona, Magnussen and his teammates will face a field of 17 Hypercars representing manufacturers including Ferrari, Toyota, Aston Martin and Peugeot. Qualifying for the six-hour race takes place on Saturday, 17 October, with the race getting underway on Sunday, 18 October at 12:00 (CEST). Watch the full race on FIA WEC+.