In 2025, BMW M Motorsport will enter its second season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and its third in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) with the BMW M Hybrid V8. To achieve its ambitious goals in both race series, BMW M Motorsport joins forces in terms of driver line-up. Eight BMW M works drivers will share the driving duties for BMW M Team WRT in the FIA WEC and BMW M Team RLL in the IMSA series. New to the team is Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen (DEN). He will be joined by Philipp Eng (AUT), Robin Frijns (NED), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), René Rast (GER), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), Dries Vanthoor (BEL), and Marco Wittmann (GER).

In the BMW M Team WRT line-up for the FIA WEC, there is one change compared to the debut season. In the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, Magnussen will start alongside Marciello and Vanthoor. The crew of car #20 remains unchanged with Frijns, Rast, and van der Linde. Wittmann continues as a regular driver in the LMDh program but switches from the FIA WEC to the IMSA series with BMW M Team RLL. Eng stays in North America and will enter his third season with the BMW M Hybrid V8 there. Van der Linde and Vanthoor will take on a dual role, competing as regular drivers in both the FIA WEC and the full IMSA season. Vanthoor and Eng will share the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, while van der Linde and Wittmann will drive the #25 sister car.

BMW M Hybrid V8s in the Pack at Road Atlanta

Due to scheduling conflicts between the two racing series, only two drivers per car will participate in the FIA WEC event at Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) in May. Vanthoor and van der Linde will simultaneously race in the IMSA event at Laguna Seca (USA). For the endurance races of the IMSA series at Daytona, Sebring, and Road Atlanta (all USA), the other four LMDh drivers will supplement the line-ups. Magnussen will compete in all three races in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, with Marciello joining as the fourth driver at Daytona. In car #25, Frijns will drive all three races, with Rast completing the Daytona quartet.

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “We have high goals for the upcoming season with our BMW M Hybrid V8 prototypes. To achieve these, we are striving for optimizations in all areas. For our driver line-up, this means focusing and specializing. The more time our drivers spend behind the wheel of the BMW M Hybrid V8, the better they will get to know its handling and the more feedback they can provide to our engineers. The goal is to intensify the development of the BMW M Hybrid V8 in collaboration with the specialists at the teams and at BMW M Motorsport. It also helps us in this regard, that some drivers compete in both championships, thereby further improving the exchange of information. We are convinced that this way joining our forces will bring us advantages. Of course, the schedule overlap in May is not ideal, but we have the regulatory option to compete in a 6-hour FIA WEC race with two drivers per car, which we will utilize. The fact that the season starts in January with the 24-hour race at Daytona is very beneficial for us. This allows us to have all eight drivers together for an extended period early in the season, helping us to optimally synchronize with each other.”

Kevin Magnussen Joins the BMW M Team