Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen has officially withdrawn from the Daytona 24 Hours on medical advice.
He had announced last Friday that the need for hand surgery after discovering a cyst meant it looked “unlikely” now that he can contest the start of the IMSA SportsCar Championship as planned alongside his father Jan and team owner Mark Kvamme in a GT3 Porsche from MDK Motorsports.
Now, in a follow-up statement, Magnussen has acknowledged that he will definitely not be racing.
“I was advised by the doctors not to race next week,” he said.
“The surgery went well but I need to rest as much as possible to be fit for the fight before we start preparing for the F1 season.
“It’s a shame. I’m looking forward to this fantastic race and to get another chance to race with my father and MDK Motorsports.”
Magnussen denied Daytona twice with Ganassi, between losing his Haas F1 seat in late 2020 and being recalled to the team to replace Nikita Mazepin on the eve of the 2022 season.
Jason Hart, who drives for MDK in the Porsche Carrera Cup, will take his place at Daytona.
The Magnussens and Kvame competed together at the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi last month and finished seventh overall.
Kvamme said last week that the team would try to “find another opportunity to race together” later if Magnussen were left out of Daytona.
Magnussen, along with the IndyCar Champion, became the second big international name to withdraw from Daytona this week Will Power retires from his planned GT trip yesterday so he could support his wife Liz while she recovers from post-op complications.
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