Former F1 drivers on the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans grid

Jaquob Crooke Published: 29 May 26 15:39

A total of 15 former Formula 1 drivers will be in action at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, of which 12 will be battling to finish on the top step of the podium in the Hypercar class.

Several F1 drivers, both past and present, have been triumphant in the world's most prestigious endurance race including Nico Hulkenberg in 2015 and Fernando Alonso, who went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.

While some ex-F1 competitors have made rare appearances at Le Mans, some have found sustained success in the World Endurance Championship.

We take a look at the drivers who were once on the Formula 1 grid that will be competing in this weekend's globally acclaimed 24-hour race.

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Toyota have four ex-F1 drivers in their ranks for Le Mans with Kamui Kobayashi partnering Nyck de Vries in car #7 and Sebastien Buemi accompanying Brendon Hartley in car #8.

Kobayashi spent three seasons with Sauber and one year with Caterham in F1 before focusing on endurance racing. The Japanese ace has a slate of runner-up finishes at Le Mans, having finished second on four occasions, but he was triumphant once in 2021.

He features alongside De Vries, who endured a rotten stint with Alpha Tauri in the 2023 F1 campaign and was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo midway through the season.

Buemi raced for Toro Rosso between 2009 and 2011 but has since enjoyed a trophy-laden career in other categories, which includes picking up the Formula E title in 2016 and a total of four Le Mans successes. In each of those four Le Mans triumphs he raced alongside Kiwi Hartley, who had just one full season in F1 with Toro Rosso in 2018.

Cadillac possess three former F1 representatives with Will Stevens riding in car #12, while Sebastian Bourdais and Jack Aitken will get behind the wheel of car #38.

Stevens had one full season with Marussia in 2015 where his best result was P13 at the British Grand Prix, and the Briton features alongside Norman Nato and Louis Deletraz.

Bourdais is one of several former Toro Rosso employees competing this weekend and the Frenchman hails from Le Mans, while Aitken had one of the briefest F1 careers as he made one appearance for Williams at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, deputising for George Russell. Aitken has made four Le Mans appearances.

BMW flaunt a familiar name in Kevin Magnussen, who started in 185 grands prix for McLaren, Renault and Haas in F1. This year will mark the Dane's third consecutive appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Ferrari have three entries in the Hypercar category. Car number #51 will be led by Antonio Giovinazzi, while car #83 features the reigning champion Robert Kubica, who was triumphant last year alongside Yifei Ye and Philip Hanson.

Giovinazzi, whose best finish across seasons with Alfa Romeo was fifth at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, is also a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans having appeared on the top step of the podium in 2023.

Kubica is one of a rare few to win an F1 race and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The #93 Peugeot - 9X8 includes Paul di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne, with the pair racing alongside New Zealand's Nick Cassidy.

Briton's Di Resta raced for Force India between 2011 and 2013, achieving a best finish of P4 in the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix and 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix. Vandoorne raced in the #94 Peugeot at Le Mans last year but replaces another ex-F1 driver in Jean-Eric Vergne, and the Belgian has found success in other categories following a disappointing spell in F1 with McLaren.

In the LMP2 category, Alpine outcast Jack Doohan drivers the Oreca 07 Gibson for Nielsen Racing, while Pietro Fittipaldi drives the same machinery on behalf of Vector Sport. Both drivers had brief F1 careers, with Doohan demoted by Alpine after just six races in 2025, while Fittipaldi made two appearances for Haas in place of the injured Romain Grosjean during the 2020 season.

Last but by no means least, former Williams driver Logan Sargeant will be making an appearance in the LMGT3 category. The American endured a difficult two-year stint in F1 with Williams, accruing just one point in 36 starts before he was released following a costly crash at the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.

He will be driving the #88 Ford Mustang alongside Italians Stefano Gattuso and Giammarco Levorato.