The 16 former Formula 1 drivers competing in the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Today will see a field of 62 race cars take the green flag at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 16 of the drivers in the race boast Formula 1 connections.

Those 16 drivers include racers whose last start in F1 came as recently as 2025, alongside plenty of former open-wheel talents who have mastered a whole new discipline.

If you’re tuning into the 94th running of Le Mans this weekend, these are the names to watch for.

Kamui Kobayashi: No. 7 Toyota Racing (LMH)

• F1 starts: 75 (2009-2012, 2014)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 11 (2013, 2016-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 1 (2021)

Kamui Kobayashi never quite found a home for himself in Formula 1. He spent four years in the sport, and in that time, he bounced between Toyota, BMW, Sauber, and Caterham before he stepped away to pursue endurance racing with Toyota. During his time in F1, he only managed to net a single podium.

The Toyota partnership has proved to be far more fruitful. With the Japanese automaker, Kobayashi has taken one victory at Le Mans, two World Endurance Championship titles, and two Rolex 24 victories at Daytona.

Toyota is one of the most experienced marques currently competing in WEC’s Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class, but their performance in recent years has waned.

Nyck de Vries: No. 7 Toyota Racing (LMH)

• F1 starts: 11 (2022-2023)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 6 (2019-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0

When Nyck de Vries entered Formula 1, he arrived with high expectations. The Formula 2 champion had followed his success in that series with a title in Formula E driving for Mercedes.

After a strong debut at Williams, de Vries was signed to the Red Bull Junior Programme to compete for AlphaTauri in 2023, but his experience outside of F1 failed to translate into F1 performance.

However, his success in F2 and FE nevertheless made him a worthwhile hire for any endurance racing outfits. In 2024, as part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing squad, he finished second overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Sebastien Buemi: No. 8 Toyota Racing (LMH)

• F1 starts: 55 (2009-2011)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 14 (2012-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 4 (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)

Another former member of the Red Bull Racing family, Sebastien Buemi spent three seasons competing for junior team Toro Rosso in Formula 1 before the team decided to bring in an all-new lineup for 2012.

But Buemi is no slouch; after F1, his moves to Formula E and the World Endurance Championship were met with success. He became the FE champion in the sport’s second-ever year of existence, while over in WEC, he’s a four-time Le Mans winner and four-time champion.

Brendon Hartley: No. 8 Toyota Racing (LMH)

• F1 starts: 25 (2017-2018)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 11 (2012-2017, 2020-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 3 (2017, 2020, 2022)

Kiwi racer Brendon Hartley was another Red Bull junior whose performance wasn’t quite worthy of F1 but who retained ties with Red Bull overall as he moved into different disciplines.

His most impressive performance has been in WEC. After joining the sport in 2012, Hartley has since won three editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, along with four WEC championships.

Hartley has also occasionally competed in the American IMSA series, where he took a victory at the 2017 running of Petit Le Mans and a second-place finish at the 2023 Rolex 24.

Will Stevens: No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (LMH)

• F1 starts: 18 (2014-2015)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 10 (2016-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0 overall, 2 in class (LMP2 victories in 2017 and 2022)

When Will Stevens finally made his way to Formula 1, it was slim pickings: Between 2014 and 2015, he made just 18 starts between the struggling Caterham and Marussia outfits.

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Kevin Magnussen: No. 15 BMW M Team WRT (LMH)

• F1 starts: 185 (2014-2020, 2022-2024)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 2 (2021, 2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0

The most experienced former Formula 1 driver on this list in terms of Grand Prix starts, Kevin Magnussen spent almost a decade in the sport bouncing between the likes of McLaren, Renault, and Haas. Unfortunately, those teams were often in building periods, and it left him with just one podium to his name after 185 starts.

Since leaving F1, Magnussen has largely focused on endurance racing. He was part of the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac squad that won the 2021 Detroit Grand Prix, and this season, he came second at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

This will only be Magnussen’s third time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Andre Lotterer: No. 17 Genesis Magma Racing (LMH)

• F1 starts: 1 (2014)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 14 (2009-2019, 2023-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 3 (2011, 2012, 2014)

One of two drivers on this list with only a single Formula 1 Grand Prix start under his belt, Andre Lotterer has long since made a name for himself in the world of European endurance racing.

Lotterer’s F1 entry came with the failing Caterham team at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, a last-dash attempt by the team to save itself from administration. Unfortunately, that would be Lotterer’s only outing.

Since then, he’s found success in disciplines around the world. Lotterer is a two-time champion in Super GT and a Super Formula Champion, while he has also taken two titles in the World Endurance Championship and three previous victories at Le Mans.

Lotterer will be helping the brand-new Genesis Magma Racing team find its footing at the formidable Circuit de la Sarthe. Genesis first announced plans to compete in the World Endurance Championship in 2024, but this is the first season the car has made it to the track.

Sebastien Bourdais: No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (LMH)

• F1 starts: 27 (2008-2009)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 18 (1999-2002, 2004, 2007, 2009-2012, 2016, 2018-2020, 2022-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0 overall, 1 in class (GTE Pro victory in 2016)

Another Toro Rosso racer to move on to Le Mans, Sebastien Bourdais’s 27 starts in Formula 1 have hardly been the highlight of his illustrious career.

Bourdais secured the Champ Car World Series title four years in a row. He’s taken overall and class victories at the Rolex 24 in Daytona. He’s taken two overall wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring and one victory at the 24 Hours of Spa.

He joined Cadillac back in 2022 and will be looking to improve on his 2025 finish of seventh overall.

Jack Aitken: No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (LMH)

• F1 starts: 1 (2020)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 4 (2022-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0

Another one-off F1 driver, Jack Aitken made his single F1 appearance at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after Williams’ George Russell was called up to Mercedes to replace an ill Lewis Hamilton.

While Aitken’s Cadillac team failed to finish the 2025 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, they’re currently leading the IMSA standings for the season after a win in Detroit; three second-place finishes at Daytona, Long Beach, and Laguna Seca; and a third-place at the 12 Hours of Le Mans.

Antonio Giovinazzi: No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse (LMH)

• F1 starts: 62 (2017, 2018-2021)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 4 (2018, 2023-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 1 (2023)

Antonio Giovinazzi never really had a chance to make a name for himself in Formula 1 thanks to the fact that he drove for both Sauber and Alfa Romeo.

But Giovinazzi has stuck it out in motorsport to make serious waves in endurance racing. Back in 2023, he and his Ferrari team drove to overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the year the team returned to the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe.

Robert Kubica: No. 83 AF Corse (LMH)

• F1 starts: 99 (2006-2010, 2019, 2021)
• F1 wins: 1
• Le Mans starts: 5 (2021-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 1 (2025)

Robert Kubica’s F1 career involved stints at Renault, Williams, and Alfa Romeo, and he was hailed as a truly promising talent until some serious crashes in both Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship sidelined him at the wrong moment.

But Kubica has made a triumphant second act of his career in the endurance racing realm. He’s a two-time LMP2 champion in WEC and a two-time European Le Mans champion. Last year, as part of the AF Corse team racing Ferrari Hypercars, the Polish driver also added his name to the prestigious list of Le Mans victors.

Paul di Resta: No. 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (LMH)

• F1 starts: 59 (2011-2013, 2017)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 7 (2018-2021, 2023-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0 overall, 1 in class (LMP2 victory in 2020)

In Formula 1, both Williams and Force India relied on Paul di Resta for his driving services, but neither team was in a position to make the most of them.

Di Resta’s endurance racing career has proved more fruitful. In 2018-2019, he won the Asian Le Mans title with the United Autosport LMP2 team. In 2020, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class with that same team. And in 2025, he also won the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

This year, di Resta is reprising his role as Hypercar driver with Peugeot.

Stoffel Vandoorne: No. 93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (LMH)

• F1 starts: 41 (2016-2018)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 4 (2019, 2021, 2024-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0

Stoffel Vandoorne spent three years racing for McLaren in Formula 1, and unfortunately, he ended up in the team at its darkest hour.

His skill as a driver was evident when he took the 2021-2022 season championship in Formula E. In endurance racing, Vandoorne finished second in the LMP2 championship standings back in 2021 and finished on podium in his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2019.

Jack Doohan: No. 24 Nielsen Racing (LMP2)

• F1 starts: 7 (2024-2025)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 0
• Le Mans wins: N/A

Australia’s Jack Doohan had just seven Grands Prix in which to prove himself a strong contender for the Formula 1 paddock, but he never quite had time to shine as part of the Alpine squad.

While Doohan still has ties to the F1 paddock as Haas’ reserve driver, he’s also actively racing full time in the European Le Mans Series, which netted him an entry at Le Mans. This will be his first attempt at the iconic 24-hour race.

Pietro Fittipaldi: No. 26 Vector Sport (LMP2)

• F1 starts: 2 (2020)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 3 (2022-2025)
• Le Mans wins: 0

When Romain Grosjean was severely injured in a fiery wreck at the close of the 2020 Formula 1 season, Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi stepped in to fill his seat. It would be Fittipaldi’s only chance racing at Formula 1.

Stints in IndyCar and endurance racing have also been somewhat challenging, but he’s finished in the top 10 in both European Le Mans Series races he’s contested so far in 2026.

Logan Sargeant: No. 88 Proton Competition (LMGT3)

• F1 starts: 36 (2023-2024)
• F1 wins: 0
• Le Mans starts: 0
• Le Mans wins: N/A

American Logan Sargeant is making his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend, where he’ll be driving a Ford Mustang for Proton Competition.

Sargeant spent his brief Formula 1 career driving the No. 2 for Williams Racing, but his time with the British team was not particularly fruitful; with a singular best finish of 10th at the 2023 United States Grand Prix, the team would opt to replace him heading into the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

Sargeant briefly stepped away from racing before announcing that he’d make his sports car debut with the IMSA championship in 2025. Now, this year, he’s signed with Ford Racing in anticipation of the American brand entering LMDh competition in the World Endurance Championship in 2027. To kick off that partnership, he’ll be making his Le Mans debut with the LMGT3 Mustang this weekend.