Magnussen: 'I’ve been driving an airplane for the last six-seven years'

Kevin Magnussen is one of the departed F1 drivers as there is no place for him at Haas or any of the other F1 teams. The Dane has switched to IMSA, where he will race for Chip Ganassi Racing. He has now clocked up his first metres in his new car, which feels a bit like a liberation for him.

Driving a plane

Following his first appearance in IMSA, he spoke with Marshall Pruett in Pruett's podcast, where he compares his new sport to Formula 1. From what he said he is very happy with his new adventure, because the cars in the IMSA have a soul that Formula 1 cars seem to lack.

Magnussen: "The sound and the smells and the looks, the aesthetics of the car. I think Americans have got that as such an integrated part of sport, and I think I’ve just missed that and I didn’t realise how much I missed it. It’s been awesome to drive a real race car again – I really think I’ve been driving an airplane, basically, for the last six-seven years.

"Which is awesome, driving a Formula 1 car is awesome, it’s got a lot of grip and a lot of power, it is great fun – but it lacks a little bit of, like, soul. I don’t know how to put it. There’s something missing. F1 used to have that more, I think lately they’ve lost a bit of that – so coming back and driving a car like this, the Cadillac DPi, it’s been a real kind of eye-opener."

Participation in 24 Hours of Daytona

Of course, this doesn't invalidate Magnussen's special experience, as he does agree that it was a great time. Still, there is a clear difference with other racing classes and in the IMSA he already seems to have found his feet, even though the first race has yet to take place.

Speaking of which, Magnussen will make his debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where he will team up with Dutchman Renger van der Zande for the aforementioned team. The 24 Hours of Daytona will take place from 28 to 31 January.