Magnussen: Tricky to make father/son Le Mans deal happen now
Kevin Magnussen believes it will be difficult to race with his father, Jan, at the Le Mans 24 Hours now he is no longer a factory driver.
Photo by: Richard Dole / Motorsport Images
Former Haas Formula 1 driver Magnussen will move into sportscar racing for the 2021 season after signing for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Magnussen has previously spoken of a desire to team up with his father for a Le Mans entry. Jan Magnussen has entered the race every year since 1999, and was part of Corvette's line-up between 2004 and 2019.
Magnussen Jr. revealed there had been some opportunities to race together during his father's time at Corvette, but now felt it would be tricky to make it happen.
"We've always wanted to do it, but I think it's become more difficult now that my dad isn't a factory driver," Magnussen said when asked by Motorsport.com about the chances of a deal.
"When he was a Corvette driver, there was some opportunities to do it, because Corvette could place me in the car for Le Mans.
"It became impossible with just logistics and time, because you need to prepare. Also it's difficult for Corvette to put one driver in the car for Le Mans, and not the same driver for the other big races that year.
"Now that he's not a factory driver, we have to do it in like an LMP2 [car] or a GTE-Am, which is difficult because we're both platinum drivers. That can be difficult with driver status, whatever this system is. It's a bit complicated in terms of that.
"I don't know if we can do it. Now I'm going to be racing and trying to get good deals for myself, and hopefully in factory teams in the future.
"It could get tricky with my dad. But we'll always keep an eye open for it."
Magnussen Sr. last won his class at Le Mans in 2009 with Corvette, and recorded podiums in GTE-Pro for the American marque in both 2014 and 2017.
He stepped down to the GTE Am class after leaving Corvette for this year's race, finishing sixth for JMW Motorsport in a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.
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