Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen will contest the 2023 Daytona 24 Hours alongside his father Jan.
Magnussen’s appearance in a MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R will be his third in the race, the traditional IMSA SportsCar Championship curtain-raiser.
Following his exit from Haas and F1 at the end of 2020, Magnussen took up a full-time seat with Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA series in 2021 and was fifth on his first start at Daytona – though his Cadillac DPi-V.R was within two seconds of the lead inside the final seven minutes of the race in the hands of Renger van der Zande when it picked up a puncture.
He missed the Petit Le Mans season finale that year, but was still seventh in the drivers’ standings as he and van der Zande produced a run of five races in six where they finished on the podium – including a victory at Detroit.
Magnussen then finished sixth in this year’s race, which was his only IMSA appearance of the season – as will be the case with his entry in the 2023 edition.
It will mark the first time an active F1 driver has competed at Daytona since 2018, when 2023 Aston Martin team-mates Fernando Alonso – who won the 24 Hours the following year while on a sabbatical from F1 – and Lance Stroll were both involved.
Magnussen was part of the original roster of drivers picked by Peugeot for its World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours return but was released from that deal when he returned to the F1 grid with Haas earlier this year, in place of the dropped Nikita Mazepin.
He said he was “super excited” about the Daytona opportunity and that “being able to do such a race together with my dad is amazing”.
The pair have previously raced together at Le Mans – driving an Oreca 07-Gibson in the LMP2 division in 2021 – and will also compete in the Gulf 12 Hours this weekend at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix venue Yas Marina.
That entry will also be with MDK Motorsports, though on this occasion they will drive a Ferrari 488 GT3.
Magnussen Sr, a two-time champion in IMSA’s GTLM class, will undertake the full campaign in the four-round Michelin Endurance Cup that fits into the IMSA series’ schedule.
The two will race the Porsche alongside team owner Mark Kvamme.
Keyword: Kevin Magnussen and father Jan to contest Daytona 24 Hours