All Former F1 Drivers Line Up for the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours race

Every year, the Le Mans 24 Hours peels back the curtain on a roster where former Formula 1 stars dominate the Hypercar grid, underscoring how endurance racing remains a viable echelons for those whose single‑seat dreams stalled.

Powerful Hypercar Line‑up

• Kamui Kobayashi drives the Toyota GR010 Hybrid in the 7th–numbered entry alongside Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries, Esteban Masson and Sebastien Buemi. His Formula 1 background includes stints with Toyota, Sauber and Caterham; he boasts 75 race starts and a podium finish at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix.
• Nyck de Vries has carved out a niche in Toyota’s programme after a brief spell with AlphaTauri in 2019. With 11 F1 starts, the Dutchman returned to racing success through LMP2 competition and Formula E before earning two outright WEC victories.
• Sebastien Buemi came aboard Toyota in 2023, riding on a history of 27 WEC victories and four overall titles. His Alpine‑sourced life in F1 seated him at Toro Rosso, where he accumulated seven points before moving on.
• Brendon Hartley teamed with Toyota in 2018 after a legacy with Porsche’s 919 Hybrid project. The Kiwi has since achieved multiple wins and championships in endurance racing but short‑lived in F1, scoring only four points for Toro Rosso.
• Will Stevens and Norman Nato pilot the Cadillac V‑Series.R in the #12 entry for Jota/Hertz, both having class wins at Le Mans with GTE Am and LMP2 experience.
• Andre Lotterer leads Genesis GMR‑001 in the 17th car, a veteran of podium‑winning LMP1 campaigns with Audi and Porsche before steering the brand’s Hypercar entry; his single‑seat experience stems from a 2014 Caterham start.
• Sebastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken sit in the 38th Cadillac V‑Series.R for Jota/Hertz. Bourdais, a four‑time CART national champion, shares the seat with Aitken, whose lone 2020 F1 start occurred after a COVID‑induced vacancy at Williams.
• Antonio Giovinazzi drives the Ferrari 499P in the 51st car for AF Corsè, after a three‑year stint with Sauber‑run Alfa Romeo. His two‑grade Off‑season haul in the 2024 WEC set the sights for a 2025 title pursuit.
• Robert Kubica returns to Ferrari’s satellite squad in the 83rd car. The former Canadian Grand Prix victor’s only Grand‑Prix win appears at Le Mans, where he is a key contender following the 2025 championship triumph.
• Paul di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne race in Peugeot’s 9X8 (car 93) after a 2017 debut at McLaren and a 2017–2018 McLaren spell, respectively. Their experience spans DTM victories and DTC triumphs, ushering in a diverse driver package.

Supporting Cast in LMP2 and LMGT3

• Jack Doohan enters Le Mans in the LMP2 class for Nielsen Racing’s Oreca 07 with a debut limited to seven 2025 F1 starts for Alpine before the seat was pulled in mid‑season.
• Bruno Fittipaldi, driving the 26th Vector Sport Oreca 07, formerly raced for Haas in the 2020 F1 season, finishing 17th in his sole appearance.
• Logan Sargeant stands behind the wheel of Proton’s Ford Mustang GT3 in the LMGT3 entry, having garnered points in the 2024 WEC season after a 10‑point single‑season with Williams.

The Promise of a New Generation

While the Hypercar grid showcases a cohort of fifty‑plus‑year‑old veterans, the emergent talent pool—represented by drivers like Sargeant, Doohan and Fittipaldi—signals a strategic blend that aims to capture rebirth on the asphalt thread of Le Mans. The event’s shifting composition draws the spotlight to how former F1 racers adapt to endurance’s relentless cadence, and whether the next generation can seize the mantle left behind by retired icons.