Breaking news
DTM
Mercedes considering Magnussen for 2016 DTM seat
Mercedes DTM boss Ulrich Fritz has not ruled out signing Kevin Magnussen for the 2016 season, but insisted that it was "too early" to hold negotiations.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Edited: Dec 21, 2015, 3:16 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Magnussen, who raced for McLaren in Formula 1 in 2014, was among the six drivers running for Mercedes in this month's DTM rookie test at Jerez.
And Fritz, when asked about the test, specifically pointed to the Dane as someone who impressed the manufacturer.
"I have to say, Kevin Magnussen impressed us with his performance, definitely, but it is too early to talk about the next steps," Fritz told Motorsport.com.
"We will evaluate the possibility [of signing Magnussen]. First of all, the question to be answered is if we have a place for him. And the second question also needs to go out to him - if he wants to do that.
"If both of those questions are answered, then we can go ahead with negotiating and seeing if the collaboration makes sense."
While BMW and Audi have already confirmed unchanged line-ups for 2016, Mercedes has yet to make any announcements, with the uncertainty regarding champion Pascal Wehrlein's Formula 1 plans appearing to be a factor in the indecision.
Fritz, talking about 2016 plans, admitted that Wehrlein's plans were a factor, but also noted that there were "other factors" in play.
Ocon to get priority
Fritz also hinted that, should a seat become available in Mercedes' DTM line-up, reserve driver Esteban Ocon is likely to get priority.
Ocon, who won back-to-back titles in F3 and GP3 in the past two seasons, came close to making his debut in the Hockenheim finale after replacing the ill Dani Juncadella in practice - only for the Spaniard to recover in time for the qualifying.
"The most logical step, if you have a reserve driver, would be - if one of the drivers leaves the team, that [the reserve driver] gets the first shot at it," Fritz said.
"I think Esteban was really impressive in his test in Jerez with us last year already, he showed a good performance already when he was replacing Dani Juncadella at the Hockenheim round - yeah, I think he could be a pretty strong candidate, but it's still too early to discuss in detail."
Interview by Sergey Bednaruk
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Marciello, Magnussen stood out in DTM test - Paffett
Next article Mercedes expects changes to DTM's ballast rules for 2016
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Valentin Khorounzhiy
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
WTCR
WTCR
Hungaroring
Mar 13, 2020
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Mar 12, 2020
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
General
General Mar 11, 2020
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
More from
Kevin Magnussen
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC
Monza
1 d
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
Title battles and bittersweet farewells headline packed 54-car Petit Le Mans grid
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans
1 mo
Title battles and bittersweet farewells headline packed 54-car Petit Le Mans grid
Kevin Magnussen vs. Noah Gragson NASCAR feud: A lap-by-lap breakdown
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
San Diego
4 mo
Kevin Magnussen vs. Noah Gragson NASCAR feud: A lap-by-lap breakdown
Latest news
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
1 h
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
MotoGP
Qatar GP
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
Why the anticlimactic WEC title showdown was the worst-case scenario
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
5 h
Why the anticlimactic WEC title showdown was the worst-case scenario
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe