Kevin Magnussen was on-site earlier this week to watch the first day of Indianapolis 500 practice and has expressed his interest in running the famous race one day.
Magnussen competed in F1 for six years, and recently moved over to the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2021 season.
The Danish driver has seen multiple of his international competitors make the switch to IndyCar in recent years, including Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean, and is beginning to have similar thoughts.
In an interview with IndyCar Radio, Magnussen revealed that he’s always wanted to have a shot at racing in the Indy 500.
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-120x86.webp)
“This race has always been right up there, right at the top of my list of races that I want to do. I got the chance to come here and check it out, have a look for myself, it’s awesome.
“I’ve always said I want to have a go at this before I hang my helmet up one day. If one day I get an opportunity, I’d grab it for sure.
“I walked out into the middle of the pit lane, the cars running at 220+, it’s fantastic. I need to have a go one day.”
For now, there are no solid plans for Magnussen to actually run in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” but while he contends with building his new home, the fact that he has taken the time to visit the tracks to watch the IndyCar racing in person will mostdefinietly lead to opportunities to get behind the wheel at an oval sometime very soon.
“Maybe I want to do it because it’s nuts,” he added. “I’ve spoken to many F1 guys that don’t really want to do it, and I don’t really understand it.”
In addition to the drivers that have switched from F1 to IndyCar in recent years, some have raced in the Indy 500 as one-off events, including Fernando Alonso who has qualified for the race twice.
Current McLaren driver Lando Norris has also expressed his interest in the Indy 500 in the past, and could potentially use his team’s presence in both series to find an available slot on the entry list.
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-350x250.webp)
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