On Tuesday, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest unveiled the final entry list for the 93rd running of the Le Mans 24 Hours on June 14-15. Sixty-two cars and 186 drivers are expected to take part, as has been the case since 2022.
The 2025 supplementary regulations stipulate that teams had until midday (CET) on May 2 to name the driver(s) entered in each car in addition to those designated when the provisional entry list was made official at the beginning of March. Among the drivers are no fewer than 13 previous overall winners and 31 rookies, including Pascal Wehrlein, who brings to 19 the number of former Formula 1 drivers entered.
As a reminder, of the 34 F1 world champions, 22 have competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours at least once: Nino Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Mike Hawthorn, Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, Jochen Rindt, Mario Andretti, Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet, Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.
But only five have taken overall victory: Hawthorn (1955), Phil Hill (1961), Rindt (1965), Graham Hill (1972) and Alonso (2018 and 2019).
While we don't know yet the Balance of Performance in force at Le Mans, which will inevitably have a significant influence on the performances of each and every one of them, here's a quick look at the chances of the former F1 drivers in June.
Outsiders: Pascal Wehrlein / Felipe Nasr (#4 Porsche 963)
Former Manor and Sauber F1 driver turned Formula E champion Wehrlein will make his Le Mans 24 Hours debut. His seat came as Porsche - his Formula E employer - needed to complete the line-up of the third 963 invited thanks to the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship title.
It's a curious promotion, given that Porsche also has Antonio Felix da Costa (six Le Mans starts, including one in a Porsche 963) and Nico Mueller (three starts) under contract in Formula E. But it is for sure a kind of reward for Wehrlein's 2024 title.
The 30-year-old German has contested two races behind the wheel of the 963: IMSA's Daytona 24 Hours with JDC-Miller MotorSports and the World Endurance Championship's Spa 6 Hours with Porsche Penske Motorsport.
He will benefit from experienced team-mates who are actually leading the IMSA SportsCar Championship: 2015 Le Mans winner Nick Tandy and fellow former Sauber F1 driver Felipe Nasr.
That said, 'American' entries rarely shine at Le Mans due to key differences between WEC and IMSA regulations. We've seen this in recent years with Porsche's third 963 and with Action Express Racing.
Favourites: Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries (#7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid) and Sébastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley (#8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid)
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Toyota's first appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the decision was taken to graft the livery worn by the legendary GT-One (TS020) in 1998 onto the #7 car. At the wheel will be two former F1 drivers: Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota, Sauber, Caterham) and Nyck de Vries (Williams and AlphaTauri), who will be accompanied by Mike Conway.
The sister car also boasts F1 experience: Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley (both formerly with Toro Rosso), partnered with Ryo Hirakawa, who this year took part in free practice sessions of the Japanese and Bahrain Grands Prix - switching teams from Alpine to Haas during the week between them. While Kobayashi, Buemi, and Hartley are already Le Mans winners, De Vries is not.
But if the GR010 Hybrid isn't hampered by the restrictive BoP that's plagued it so far this season, Toyota will once again be a major threat. Few can match its strategic acumen and operational sharpness, as proven by five victories.
Outsiders: Will Stevens (#12 Cadillac V-Series.R) and Sébastien Bourdais / Jenson Button (#38 Cadillac V-Series.R)
Cadillac impressed last year, including second and third in Hyperpole, but its 2025 season hasn't lived up to expectations.
The switch from Chip Ganassi Racing to Team Jota is part of the explanation. Though talented, the British outfit needs time to get up to speed with the car and coordination with programme partners General Motors and Dallara.
However, fifth and sixth places at the Spa 6 Hours last Saturday are an encouraging first sign, and Jota is used to excelling at Le Mans, with 13 LMP2 podium finishes in 11 years.
In the #12, Will Stevens (Caterham/Manor Marussia in F1) remains a Jota mainstay since 2020, joined by Norman Nato and Alex Lynn. Stevens would love to win the event in a third different category.
In the #38, veteran Sébastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) has a childhood dream to fulfil alongside Jenson Button (Williams, Benetton, BAR, Honda, Brawn, McLaren) and the double Le Mans winner Earl Bamber.
But will that be enough to enable Button to become the sixth F1 world champion in history to win the Le Mans 24 Hours?
Outsider: Kevin Magnussen (#15 BMW M Hybrid V8)
Returning to Le Mans after a first appearance in 2021 with his father Jan in LMP2, Kevin Magnussen (McLaren, Renault and Haas in F1) is back with undisguised ambitions.
After two podium finishes in the first two WEC rounds, the BMW M Team WRT had more trouble at Spa-Francorchamps with a brake failure for the #20 and too many penalties for Magnussen's car despite another encouraging performance.
Accompanied by Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello, Magnussen has everything it takes to be a troublemaker. But that doesn't mean its car can do it over 24 hours...
Outsider: Mick Schumacher (#36 Alpine A424)
Alpine is steadily improving, with the #36 A424 taking back-to-back podiums at Imola and Spa. In Belgium, it even contended for the win on pure pace. But memories of last year's double retirement before nightfall at Le Mans still linger.
Steps have been taken since, and the key will be whether the Mecachrome turbo V6 can last 24 hours trouble-free. Mick Schumacher (Haas in F1) is clearly enjoying his 2025 season, sharing the car with Jules Gounon and Frédéric Makowiecki.
Their car seems to perform well on fast circuits, as seen at Spa. A podium would be a major achievement. But to hope for more is to dream...
Favourites: Antonio Giovinazzi (#51 Ferrari 499P) and Robert Kubica (#83 Ferrari 499P)
Antonio Giovinazzi (Sauber/Alfa Romeo in F1) and Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber, Renault, Williams, Alfa Romeo), at the wheel of a car which has outrageously dominated the first three rounds of the WEC season and is a two-time title holder, are inevitably among the favourites.
Giovinazzi can still rely on the team-mates with whom he won Le Mans in 2023: Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado. As for Kubica, he has now joined forces with Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson.
The question is whether Ferrari's early-season dominance will lead to a BoP hit. So far, Ferrari and AF Corse have nailed strategy and execution, but can they keep cool under pressure? Until now, they've mostly controlled the pace.
Midfield: Paul di Resta / Jean-Eric Vergne (#93 Peugeot 9X8) and Stoffel Vandoorne (#94 Peugeot 9X8)
While the Peugeot 9X8 was at its best at Spa-Francorchamps thanks to an extremely advantageous BoP and the track's new asphalt, it would be very surprising to see the French LMH play at the front of the field at Le Mans, as the BoP clearly can't help it any further.
However, it's not behind the wheel where the problems lie, with Paul di Resta (Force India, Williams in F1) and Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) sharing the #93 car with Mikkel Jensen. In the #94 car, Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) is accompanied by Loïc Duval and Malthe Jakobsen.
But despite this, and a proper racing team, Peugeot Sport is clearly not among the favourites, as the 9X8 is clearly not up to the level of its rivals.
Midfield - Jack Aitken (#311 Cadillac V-Series.R)
Action Express Racing is an excellent team with countless IMSA titles to its name. However, like the Porsche Penske Motorsport team behind the #4 963, it risks suffering from a lack of experience of the WEC regulations.
Over the last two years at Le Mans, AXR failed to match the performance of the Chip Ganassi Cadillac. However, this year, communication with Team Jota - which contests the entire WEC - will be much more transparent than it was with CGR, which could greatly help the American squad.
Jack Aitken (one grand prix with Williams in 2020), is joined by two young drivers who have excelled in Formula 2: Felipe Drugovich and Fred Vesti, both reserve and test drivers in F1, for Aston Martin and Mercedes respectively.
LMP2 Outsider: André Lotterer (#18 ORECA 07-Gibson)
Taking the start of the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix at the wheel of a Caterham just a few weeks after taking his third Le Mans 24 Hours victory, André Lotterer will be contesting the event for the 13th time. But this is the first time he will not be entered in the top class.
Reigning world champion with Porsche, Lotterer will be competing in the LMP2 class, in the #18 ORECA 07 entered by IDEC Sport, which is being used by Genesis Magma Racing to prepare its team for its arrival in the WEC next year in the Hypercar class.
He will act as the captain alongside Jamie Chadwick (one of the five female drivers on the grid) and Mathys Jaubert, both members of the Genesis Trajectory Programme which aims to test young drivers with a view to their possible integration into the Hypercar programme.
While Chadwick and Jaubert have just won the first two rounds of the European Le Mans Series in LMP2, winning at Le Mans with two rookies and a driver with no LMP2 experience seems like a tall order.
LMP2 Favourite: Pietro Fittipaldi (#22 ORECA 07-Gibson)
Since taking part in two grands prix in 2020 with Haas, Pietro Fittipaldi has pursued his career in IndyCar, while becoming a benchmark in LMP2, whether in the WEC, ELMS or IMSA. This year, he is wearing the colours of Pratt Miller Motorsports on the other side of the Atlantic.
But at Le Mans, the Brazilian driver will join the defending LMP2 champion team: United Autosports. He will be sharing the wheel with Renger van der Zande and David Heinemeier-Hansson, an amateur driver who won the GTE Am in 2014.
Without a doubt, all the conditions are in place for him to win. Although in a one-make class with 17 cars, it certainly won't be easy.
