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Several F1 drivers are participating in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway this weekend. The 24 hour race is one of the most popular of the year in the world of motorsports with many drivers looking to add the win on their resume.
The race is the first of the year in the IMSA Sportscar Championship and has several renowned drivers looking to get the iconic Rolex Daytona watch for themselves alongside the trophy. It is also part of the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing alongside 12hr of Sebring and 24hr of Le Mans.
Below are the 5 former F1 drivers that will be competing at the 24hr of Daytona this weekend.
#1. Kevin Magnussen-Former Haas F1
Kevin Magnussen competed in 185 races in F1 and got one podium to his name which came in his debut race in 2014 for McLaren. After a decade-long start-stop career at the pinnacle of motorsport, the Danish driver saw out his contract with Haas till the end of the 2024 season and left the sport to race in IMSA.
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The 32-year-old will race in the GTP category for the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 alongside Philipp Eng, Dries Vanthoor, and Raffaele Marciello.
#2. Romain Grosjean
Similar to his long-time Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean is also competing in this weekend's Rolex 24. The French driver, who left Formula 1 at the end of the 2020 season after sustaining a horrific injury in Bahrain, has been racing in IndyCar ever since.
At Daytona, he would drive in the GTP category for the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63 alongside Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Mortara, and another former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat.
#3. Kamui Kobayashi
Kamui Kobayashi has been out of the pinnacle of motorsport for more than a decade after racing for six years with teams like Sauber and Caterham.
The Japanese driver has made quite a name for himself in the Endurance categories as he won two Endurance championships along with a race win in 24 hours of Le Mans in 2021. He also won the Rolex 24 twice previously in 2019 and 2020. Kobayashi will race in car No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R with Jordan Taylor, and Louis Deletraz.
#4. Brendon Hartley
Brendon Hartley had a lackluster F1 career as he competed in just 25 races for the Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso in 2017 and 2018. However, the Kiwi has gone on to become a legend in the world of Endurance Racing as he won a record-equalling four titles in the Endurance Championship and also won 24hr of Le Mans on three occasions in 2017, 2020, and 2022.
In Rolex 24, he would race in car No. 10 Cadillac V-Series. R with Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, and Will Stevens as teammates.
#5. Paul Di Resta
Paul Di Resta had a brief career in F1 as he raced for Force India for three years from 2011 to 2013 and despite some noticeable performances, he was unable to get a seat after 2013.
After his stint at the pinnacle of motorsport, he switched to DTM and Endurance Racing and even won the 24hr of Le Mans in the LMP2 class in 2020. The Scot also had a stint as a pundit with Sky Sports from 2016 to 2023.
At Rolex 24, he will race car No. 22 United Autosports ORECA 07 with Daniel Goldberg, James Allen, and Rasmus Lindh as teammates.
