NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Magnussen rules out F1 reserve role

Kevin Magnussen has ruled out keeping his foot in the F1 door next year by staying as a reserve driver.

Kevin Magnussen has ruled out keeping his foot in the F1 door next year by staying as a reserve driver.

For 2016, McLaren has replaced the Dane with new GP2 champion Stoffel Vandoorne, after 23-year-old Magnussen insisted he needed to get back to racing.

So Magnussen has now completed a test for the leading Le Mans team Porsche.

"Next time I have meetings with various teams," he told the Danish broadcaster TV2, "and I am talking inside and outside of formula one so we'll see what happens."

Magnussen admitted, however, that his F1 chances are slim.

"There are several possibilities in formula one if I want to be reserve driver," he said. "But I do not. I will go and race something next year.

"It's not because I can't be bothered being reserve driver, I simply cannot. I am a racing driver and I have to be racing. I cannot bear not to drive anymore."

But Magnussen sounds more than happy to leave F1 behind for now to enter world endurance sports car racing with Porsche.

"I knew that it was a good car, but I was surprised that it was that good," he explained.

"It is clearly the coolest race car I've ever driven. Formula one is obviously the highest, with the most money and the most things coming with it.

"But looking purely as a racing driver, the Porsche is better. The test went incredibly well, the car suits me perfectly, I was quick and I worked really well with the team," he added.

(GMM)