{"id":98946,"date":"2025-05-13T20:20:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T20:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/98946\/"},"modified":"2025-05-13T20:20:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T20:20:08","slug":"which-ex-f1-drivers-are-competing-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/98946\/","title":{"rendered":"Which ex-F1 drivers are competing this year?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>With June on the horizon, the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans is set to take place, and the entry list is stacked with talent from all around the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Overall, 19 total former F1 drivers are featured on the entry list for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans \u2014 17 in the top-level Le Mans Hypercar prototype class.<\/p>\n<p>Felip Nasr: Porsche Penske Motorsport (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 39 starts (2015-2016)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>5 (2018, 2021-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Brazilian Felipe Nasr didn\u2019t have the most impressive outing in Formula 1, spending two seasons with the uncompetitive Sauber team.<\/p>\n<p>But he found his footing in endurance racing, starting off as a Cadillac factory driver before moving on to join Porsche in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Nasr has won two runnings of the Rolex 24, and he and his crew have dominated every IMSA race this season. The competition at Le Mans will be stiff, but Nasr and crew are a safe bet for a strong performance.<\/p>\n<p>Pascal Wehrlein: Porsche Penske Motorsport (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 39 (2016-2017)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Much like Nasr, Pascal Wehrlein also spent his time in Formula 1 confined to back marker teams like Manor and Sauber, but rather than head to endurance racing, the German went to Formula E, where he won the 2023-2024 championship.<\/p>\n<p>Wehrlein will be making his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut this year in the same Porsche Penske as Nasr and Nick Tandy.<\/p>\n<p>Kamui Kobayashi: Toyota Gazoo Racing (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 75 (2009-2012, 2014)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>10 (2013, 2016-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 1 (2021)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bouncing between Toyota, BMW, Sauber, and Caterham during his time in Formula 1, Kamui Kobayashi only snagged one podium. After leaving F1, he headed off to join Toyota in endurance racing.<\/p>\n<p>There, Kobayashi has tasted success in the form of one Le Mans victory.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastien Buemi: Toyota Gazoo Racing (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 55 (2009-2011)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>13 (2012-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 4 (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A former member of the Red Bull Racing family, Swiss-born Sebastien Buemi spent three seasons racing for Toro Rosso before he and teammate Jaime Alguersuari were both scrapped from the team in favor of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after, he moved into both Formula E and the World Endurance Championship. He won the 2015-2016 FE title, but his real success has been in WEC.<\/p>\n<p>As part of Toyota Gazoo Racing, Buemi has won four editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and he\u2019s also a four-time WEC champion.<\/p>\n<p>Brendon Hartley: Toyota Gazoo Racing (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 25 (2017-2018)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>11 (2012-2017, 2020-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 3 (2017, 2020, 2022)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Kiwi driver Brendon Hartley was part of the Red Bull Racing junior program, where he managed to snag 25 F1 starts over the course of two years.<\/p>\n<p>However, when it became clear early on in Hartley\u2019s career that he wouldn\u2019t be able to move up to F1 immediately, he joined the World Endurance Championship field \u2014 first with Porsche and now with Toyota.<\/p>\n<p>Hartley took one Le Mans win and two championships with Porsche, followed by two Le Mans wins and two championships with Toyota.<\/p>\n<p>Nyck de Vries: Toyota Gazoo Racing (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 11 (2022-2023)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>5 (2018-2019, 2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A Formula 2 and Formula E champion, hopes were high when Nyck de Vries debuted with Williams and joined F1 full-time with AlphaTauri \u2014 but unfortunately, the Dutch driver failed to last the full season.<\/p>\n<p>Like many other drivers in his shoes, de Vries turned to endurance racing. In WEC, he\u2019s taken two wins and come ever so close to winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n<p>More on the 24 Hours of Le Mans:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetf1.com\/features\/cadillac-heartbreaking-2024-24-hours-le-mans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">24 Hours At The Motorsport Olympics: The inside story of Cadillac\u2019s heartbreaking 2024 Le Mans<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetf1.com\/features\/five-formula-1-champions-won-24-hours-of-le-mans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Five Formula 1 champions who also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Will Stevens: Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 18 (2014-2015)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>9 (2016-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 2 in class (LMP2; 2017 and 2022)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Between Caterham and Marussia, Will Stevens never quite had a strong shot at Formula 1, but the Briton has been more successful in endurance racing.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s taken two LMP2 class victories at Le Mans and will be hoping to secure an overall Hypercar win this year. Further, with Jota, he secured the LMP2 WEC title back in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Magnussen: BMW M Team WRT (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 185 (2014-2020, 2022-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>1 (2021)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One of the longest-running Formula 1 drivers on this list, Kevin Magnussen competed in open-wheel racing for McLaren, Renault, and Haas \u2014 and was only able to nab one podium during that time.<\/p>\n<p>The Dane has sampled racing in America, but with his F1 contract coming to an end in 2024, he made the move to endurance racing. He\u2019s had one shot at Le Mans before and will be hoping for a much better result this year.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastien Bourdais: Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 27 (2008-2009)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>17 (1999-2002, 2004, 2007, 2009-2012, 2016, 2018-2020, 2022-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 1st in class (GTE Pro; 2016)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais had 27 starts in F1 with Toro Rosso before he was dropped \u2014 but that only scratches the surface of his many accomplishments.<\/p>\n<p>Bourdais won the Champ Car World Series four times in a row and has one class win at Le Mans, two overall wins at Sebring, and one overall win at the Rolex 24.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s once again joining Cadillac for Le Mans, where he\u2019ll hope to recover from 2024\u2019s DNF.<\/p>\n<p>Jenson Button: Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 306 (2000-2017)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 15<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 1 (2009)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>3 (2018, 2023-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The most experienced F1 driver on this list \u2014 as well as our only World Champion \u2014 Jenson Button is a beloved figure in the motorsport scene.<\/p>\n<p>Since retiring from F1 at the end of 2017, he\u2019s taken a Super GT championship, tried his hand at Le Mans (including with the innovative Garage 56 NASCAR machine), and tried American stock car racing.<\/p>\n<p>Button will spend 2025 with Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, and so far, it hasn\u2019t been an easy year, with a best finish of sixth at Spa.<\/p>\n<p>Mick Schumacher: Alpine Endurance Team (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 43 (2021-2022)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>1 (2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Mick Schumacher, son of Michael, spent two years in F1 racing for the uncompetitive Haas team before he was dropped.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the former Formula 2 and Formula 3 champion has been looking to find his footing since, serving as a test and reserve F1 driver while also balancing a WEC career.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, he and his Alpine team failed to finish the Le Mans 24; he\u2019ll be hoping for a better result in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Kubica: AF Corse (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 99 (2006-2010, 2019, 2021)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 1<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>4 (2021-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Robert Kubica impressed in Formula 1 with Sauber, Renault, Williams, and Alfa Romeo, though he never quite had a chance to test himself thanks to a few nasty crashes in both F1 and in the World Rally Championship.<\/p>\n<p>The Polish driver has since moved on to endurance racing, trying his hand at the World Endurance championship. Though he has yet to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he\u2019s taken the FIA WEC championship in the LMP2 category, as well as two European Le Mans titles.<\/p>\n<p>Antonio Giovinazzi: Ferrari AF Corse (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 62 (2017, 2018-2021)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>3 (2018, 2023-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 1 (2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After three middling years in F1 with Sauber and Alfa Romeo, Italian driver Antonio Giovinazzi truly found his footing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s taken one victory at Le Mans, back in 2023, when Ferrari returned to the top level of\u00a0 competition.<\/p>\n<p>Paul di Resta: Peugeot TotalEnergies (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 59 (2011-2013, 2017)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>6 (2018-2021, 2023-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 1 in class (LMP2; 2020)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A stalwart at Force India and Williams, Paul di Resta never quite made his mark in F1, though he did take an LMP2 class win at Le Mans in 2020 as well as a 2010 DTM championship.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in 2025, he won the Rolex 24 with the United Autosports LMP2 team and took the 2018-2019 Asian Le Mans title with the same team.<\/p>\n<p>Stoffel Vandoorne:\u00a0Peugeot TotalEnergies (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 42 (2016-2018)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>3 (2019, 2021, 2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A Formula E champion, Stoffel Vandoorne\u2019s three years racing in Formula 1 for McLaren came at one of the team\u2019s lowest moments in recent history.<\/p>\n<p>His early outings in endurance racing saw him take a second overall in the 2021 LMP2 WEC championship, but his move to Peugeot\u2019s hypercar program hasn\u2019t been particularly smooth so far.<\/p>\n<p>Jean-Eric Vergne: Peugeot TotalEnergies (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 58 (2012-2014)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>6 (2017-2020, 2023-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As a Toro Rosso driver between 2012 and 2014, Jean-Eric Vergne was regularly put in contention against teammate Daniel Ricciardo and unfortunately came out on the losing end.<\/p>\n<p>But in Formula E, Vergne was the first back-to-back champion. His performance in endurance racing has been hit or miss, particularly with the fairly new Peugeot team.<\/p>\n<p>Jack Aitken: Cadillac Whelen (LMH)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 1 (2020)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>3 (2022-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Jack Aitken made his Formula 1 debut at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton fell ill with COVID, prompting Mercedes to promote George Russell to the big leagues and Aitken to replace Russell at Williams.<\/p>\n<p>He never had a chance to continue his F1 career, though he has since moved to DTM and endurance racing, where he won the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring.<\/p>\n<p>Andre Lotterer: IDEC Sport (LMP2)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 1 (2014)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>13 (2009-2019, 2023-2024)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 3 (2011, 2012, 2014)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Another F1 one-off, Andr\u00e9 Lotterer competed in the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix with the middling Caterham team and failed to impress.<\/p>\n<p>However, he\u2019s been much more successful in other disciplines. He\u2019s won two titles in Super GT, one title in Super Formula, two titles in WEC, and three runnings of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n<p>This year, he\u2019ll be taking on the race behind the wheel of an LMP2 machine.<\/p>\n<p>Pietro Fittipaldi: United Autosports (LMP2)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F1 starts<\/strong>: 2 (2020)<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>F1 titles<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans starts<\/strong>:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>2 (2022-2023)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Le Mans wins<\/strong>: 0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At the close of the 2020 season, after Romain Grosjean was severely injured in a fiery wreck, Pietro Fittipaldi took over his F1 seat.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s yet to return to F1 competition but has tried his hand at both IndyCar and endurance racing \u2014 though aside from an LMP2 win at Monza last year, both have proven to be quite a challenge for him.<\/p>\n<p>Read next:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetf1.com\/features\/wright-brothers-europe-le-mans-demonstration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Europe v USA: How Le Mans sparked a decades long battle over technical innovation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With June on the horizon, the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans is set to take place, and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98947,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[4199,2894,707,4200,225,45984,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-98946","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-f1","9":"tag-f1-features","10":"tag-formula-1","11":"tag-formula1","12":"tag-home-page","13":"tag-le-mans","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114502383950483428","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}