Former McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen enjoyed his first DTM test with Mercedes in Jerez, Spain this week as he continues to evaluate his racing plans for 2016.
Magnussen was dropped from a full-time race seat by McLaren for 2015 to make way for Fernando Alonso, taking up a reserve role at the British team.
McLaren confirmed in October that it would not be renewing Magnussen’s contract, leaving the Dane without a race role for the coming season.
Having tried out a Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 car in Barcelona last month, it was confirmed that Magnussen would also test a DTM car with Mercedes in Jerez this week alongside five other rookie drivers.
The test marked Magnussen’s first run in a touring car, having only previously raced in single seaters and sportscars, and he admitted that he was surprised by the grip it afforded.
“It was a really good day, and the test was a lot of fun,” Magnussen said.
“The DTM is a completely new experience for me. So far, I’ve always driven single-seaters. Consequently, it was a totally new experience to test a touring car.
“The car has very high downforce and much more grip than you would expect. I can imagine that racing in one of these cars is really enjoyable.”
Mercedes is yet to confirm its line-up for the 2016 DTM season, but with champion Pascal Wehrlein possibly set to move into GP2 or Formula 1, at least one seat may be available for Magnussen to move into should he so wish.