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Magnussen to test DTM for Mercedes

Kevin Magnussen will test a DTM car for Mercedes next week as he looks to finalise plans for the 2016 season.

The former McLaren driver was dropped by the team at the end of this season, a year after being demoted from race driver to reserve. Following a WEC test with Porsche, Magnussen has now announced he will test a DTM car at Jerez next week as he keeps his options open for a race seat while seeking a new reserve role in Formula One.

“Yes, I’m going down there testing," Magnussen told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. "It’ll probably be on the third day. It will be a great experience and I appreciate the opportunity. I’m looking forward to trying another new race car for the first time.

“They are evaluating drivers and might need one for next season, but I’m not tied to anything for next year. For me it will be a great chance to try a racing car I’ve never driven before and then we’ll see what the future brings. So far it is only a test.”

When asked whether it’s possible to combine driving DTM or doing Le Mans and Spa in WEC with at reserve role in F1, Magnussen replied: “Possibly, but nothing is certain yet.

"It is still very uncertain what will happen next year."

A Porsche seat could open up for Magnussen as Nico Hulkenberg - who won in the third Porsche at Le Mans this year - looks unlikely to defend the title due to a clash between the new F1 race in Baku and the 24 Hours.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.