REVEALED: THE 18 EX-F1 DRIVERS CONFIRMED FOR ICONIC LE MANS 24 HOUR RACE
The entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been unveiled, with a host of former Formula 1 drivers confirmed to be in the field for the iconic endurance race.
A total of 18 drivers to have made starts in Formula 1, alongside legends of the World Endurance Championship, IndyCar and more have been entered into the event, which takes place on the weekend of 15-16 June.
Host of ex-F1 talent announced on Le Mans 24 Hours entry list
A whopping 186 drivers have been announced for the 62-car entry list for this year’s race, after the roaring success of last year’s centenary event at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Unfortunately, after his test in a Porsche 963 Hypercar earlier this year, four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel will not be taking part in the race, but Jenson Button will be going for outright victory this time around with Hertz Team Jota, after his hugely popular Garage 56 entry in collaboration with NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports last year, in a modified Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Defending his and Ferrari’s win from last season is Antonio Giovinazzi, along with team-mates Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado.
The all-conquering Toyota team were finally toppled by the Scuderia in last season’s edition of the race, but they continue to hold significant ex-F1 representation through Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota’s driver combined with team principal, who has brought in Nyck de Vries alongside him after his premature exit from Formula 1 and brief stint at AlphaTauri, with the pair joined in the #7 car by Mike Conway.
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In the sister #8 car, Brendon Hartley and Sebastien Buemi are alongside each other, along with current McLaren reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa.
In a customer Ferrari 499P, driving for AF Corse, Robert Kubica will be going for overall glory alongside current Ferrari reserve Robert Shwartzman, and young Chinese driver Yifei Ye.
Former Manor driver Will Stevens is on the grid for Hertz Team Jota, while Romain Grosjean is set to return to Le Mans for only his second tilt at the race – and the first time since 2010 – with Lamborghini, where former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat will be his team-mate, albeit in a sister car.
Mick Schumacher will continue behind the wheel of the #36 Alpine for his Le Mans debut, while an invited Cadillac entry will see one-time Williams starter Jack Aitken partnered with current Aston Martin reserve driver and ex-F2 champion Felipe Drugovich, alongside Luis Felipe Derani.
Peugeot have three ex-F1 drivers in their ranks, with Jean-Eric Vergne one of the drivers of the #93 car and Stoffel Vandoorne partnering Paul di Resta in the #94 9X8 model.
Sébastien Bourdais is a factory Cadillac driver this year, and is taking part alongside former IMSA champion Renger van der Zande and IndyCar legend Scott Dixon, a six-time champion of the series.
Elsewhere in former F1 representation, Felipe Nasr and André Lotterer will both be driving factory Porsches in the Hypercar class, in the #4 and #6 cars respectively.
For other high-profile names to look out for on the grid, current IndyCar champion Alex Palou has been a confirmed entry in the #2 Cadillac, while Mercedes F1 reserve driver Frederik Vesti will be on the grid in the LMP2 class.
Mercedes’ F1 Academy driver, Doriane Pin, is competing in the LMGT3 class with the successful Iron Dames team, having retired from last year’s race while competing in the LMP2 category.
MotoGP legend, Valentino Rossi is also down to appear in the LMGT3 class in the #46 Team WRT entry, having moved into endurance racing back in 2022.
Former Minardi driver Gianmaria Bruni does appear on the provisional entry list for Le Mans in Hypercars, but only as a reserve entry at this stage due to the grid being at its 62-car capacity.
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2024-05-07T16:17:37Z dg43tfdfdgfd