F1 may still be considered the pinnacle of motorsports. After all, its glamor and worldwide popularity remain unmatched. But those who have raced in other disciplines are well aware that F1 is not as competitive as some of the other top series. Kevin Magnussen recently echoed similar thoughts.
Magnussen left Haas after the 2024 season and will now drive for BMW in both the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 32-year-old will miss his former counterparts in F1, who are gearing up for what is expected to be one of the most competitive seasons of all time, but he is looking forward even more to the competition in his new venture.
Back on track! Feels great to get behind the wheel of our BMW M Hybrid V8 here at Daytona. It’s an amazing place – and we have an exciting week ahead of us #IMSA @BMWMotorsport
@jameypricephoto pic.twitter.com/9t90GBlshc
— Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) January 18, 2025
“The competition at the end of the day is tougher because you don’t have just one or two cars that can win,” Magnussen said in a recent interview.
While the Dane acknowledged that some drivers in F1 are “very special,” he insisted that the WEC does not lack talent either. In 2024, five different constructors won at least one of the eight races contested in the championship. In F1, that number was just four across 24 race weekends.
The key reason for the difference in competitiveness between the two categories is the technical regulations. F1 today has a very stringent set of rules, limiting designers from taking risks and adopting unconventional approaches to car design—something Adrian Newey alluded to in his interview on the ams.F1 podcast.
Newey explained how, back in 2009, teams like Brawn GP were able to surprise the rest of the grid with their ingenious double diffuser concept, something that would be nearly impossible to replicate today due to the strict rules.
While certain regulations make the WEC more appealing than F1, the opposite is also true in some aspects.
Max Verstappen once revealed what he dislikes about the WEC
With four World Championships under his belt, Verstappen has achieved everything in F1 and is on course for more. With so much success, he has often hinted at wanting to pursue victories in other racing categories, such as endurance.
However, one rule—Balance of Performance (BoP) in the WEC, introduced in 2023—may delay Verstappen’s decision to compete in the series. “It’s too early for me to enter because of the new regulations. They need to sort out the BoP better between the cars,” he said in an interview last year.
Max: “I want to race at Le Mans.. I have a contract until 2028. I’ll be 31 years old at the end of it, that is still very young.” pic.twitter.com/MkcabpXECu
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) November 21, 2024
The WEC introduced this regulation to make the competition fairer as teams often run very different specifications, which can have a huge difference in performance.
In order to counteract this and level the playing field, the BoP regulations involve the use of some technical adjustments such as weight (+/- of ballast) and power (+/- of horsepower).
This rule has proven to be controversial as it is very difficult to determine the exact amount of adjustments required. Therefore, Verstappen may want the organizers of the WEC to give more thought to this regulation before he decides to compete in an event like Le Mans, something he has always wanted to participate in.
